September 29, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:
Daniel E. Parshley
Phone: 912-466-0934
E-mail: gec@darientel.net

Superfund 25th Anniversary Report Features
Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site
Report Finds America’s Safety Net is Weakest When Needed Most

Glynn Environmental Coalition Calls on EPA to contain Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site

Government Agency Plays Hide and Seek with Toxic Information

The Glynn Environmental Coalition joined with over 50 organizations across the country to release the “25th Anniversary of Superfund: America’s Safety Net in Crisis,” a national report which finds the Superfund program is at its weakest.

On the 25th anniversary of Superfund, and the upcoming 2nd anniversary on October 1st of Superfund’s depletion by the loss of polluter pays fees, the report finds that the once-robust and successful toxic waste safety net is now in crisis.

 Since its creation in 1980, Superfund has cleaned up 936 sites, protecting hundreds of communities. EPA has secured over $22 billion from polluters who have funded approximately 70% of the site cleanups. The remaining 30% are cleaned up with Superfund monies like the Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site.

 Since polluter pays fees expired in 1995, and Congress refused to reinstate them, the burden on taxpayers to support the Superfund Trust Fund has increased by 300%. Taxpayers now fully shoulder the burden of the program’s $1.2 billion annual appropriation to clean up abandoned sites. “This unfair situation has occurred since the Bush Administration made a policy decision to give polluters a free ride and pass the bill on to taxpayers,” noted Bill Owens, President of the Glynn Environmental Coalition. "It is the first and only administration to oppose the reinstatement of polluter pays fees." When the fees expired in 1995, Superfund had a surplus of $3.8 billion—but on October 1, 2003 all industry fee monies were spent, shifting the burden totally to taxpayers.

 Superfund has a weakened Trust Fund with a decrease in funding of $600 million annually—from $1.8 billion in 1993 to $1.2 billion in 2004—according to a recent federal report.

 Consequently, Superfund cleanups have slowed to a crawl with an approximate 80% reduction in annual site cleanups—from 88 sites in 1997 to just 16 sites cleaned up in 2005. *

The report includes a Superfund Site Profile on the Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site, as well as profiles for every state in the U.S. with community updates describing health problems, including birth defects and cancer.

“Superfund is supposed to be our safety net when toxic emergencies occur,” said Daniel Parshley. “Now on its 25th anniversary, it is time for Congress to restore the hazardous waste fees on polluting industries. The core principle is that polluters—not taxpayers—should pay to clean up these toxic waste sites. The ailing Superfund is at its weakest when we need it".

"The Glynn Environmental Coalition has asked for Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss help in moving forward containment of the Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site, and their decision on supporting reinstatement of Superfund," said Owens. "We need their help to get the Brunswick Wood Preserving Superfund Site contained."

For more information, please visit www.besafenet.com/superfund

[* As of September 14, 2005, 16 sites have been remediated in Fiscal Year 2005, which ends on September 30, 2005.]
 

Government Agency Plays Hide and Seek with Toxic Information

One of four Superfund sites in Brunswick, Brunswick Wood Preserving (BWP) is not receiving the attention it deserves. In fact, instead of highlighting the horrendous pollution problems, EPA has done everything in its power to hide the community plight from full exposure. “EPA secrecy surrounds this site the last few years,” said Daniel Parshley, the project manager for Glynn Environmental Coalition. “The EPA has withheld documents that our community needs, and should be reviewed by our technical advisor. EPA staff have gone to residents’ homes and intimidated the most vocal residents.”

Opened in 1958, BWP treated wood with copper chromium arsenate (CCA), pentachlorophenol (PCP) and creosote. The creosote, released in the early 1970s, left a four-inch coating on Burnett Creek. "We united, organized residents and sought legal action in the early 1970's to stop the repeated killing of the fish and crabs in the creek", Paul Redding said. "Regulators promised action, but allowed BWP to continue releases", he added. CCA- and PCP-treated poles were dried over open ground, allowing the chemicals to contaminate the soil.

This pollution was the responsibility of Escambia Wood Preserving, a company that sold business to the workers when it knew the operation wasn’t sustainable and environmental regulators were pressing for action to stop continued releases, Parshley said. However, the same environmental regulators allowed Escambia to create a four-acre pond of creosote, CCA and PCP.

In 1991, BWP closed after declaring bankruptcy, leaving in its wake an 84-acre site with 1 million cubic yards of waste, which still remains. EPA’s Emergency Response and Removal Branch began a removal action that lasted until April 1995, according to EPA.
During this removal action, all but a few of the site structures were demolished and removed; sludges were dewatered; wastewater was treated; drums and lab wastes were disposed offsite; poles, lumber, equipment and scrap were recycled and/or salvaged; and large areas of contaminated soil and sludge were excavated and removed.

The site, which doesn’t include the surrounding residential properties with groundwater contamination underneath, was proposed to the Superfund National Priorities List on Dec. 23, 1996. Four months later, in April, the site was finalized. However, the listing didn’t change the fact that residents were told not to eat from their gardens; soil, air and seafood had been exposed to toxic chemicals; and clotheslines were coated with those chemicals. There are six municipal wells within a four-mile radius, serving more than 6,000 people.

Although there was an ATSDR Public Health Assessment, Parshley stated, EPA failed to provide data to make a determination. “Overall, the EPA has done a good job of not producing data relevant to protecting human health from consumption of contaminated seafood,” he said. “To this day, the drain pipe from the BWP site continues to release PCC and diesel fuel to Burnett Creek.”

The Glynn Environmental Coalition received an EPA Technical Assistance Grant to review Site documents and reports. Unfortunately, BWP is still not being cleaned up. Parshley believes this is partly due to the fact EPA has refused to provide information about how the site is priority-ranked for funding. “The BWP site is an orphan site that must be remediated with Superfund money,” he emphasized.
 

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