Holtrachem Cleanup

Cleanup of the now-closed HoltraChem site continues to move forward in Orrington. On Wednesday, Aug. 22, MPA members joined Gov. Baldacci and DEP Commissioner David Littell at the Blaine House in Augusta to announce the near completion of four phases of mercury cleanup at the site of the former HoltraChem facility in Orrington (press release below).

MPA members continue to participate in regular calls with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to voice our concerns about how the cleanup of the site is going. People interested in the ongoing clean-up can see updates on the DEP website at www.state.me.us/dep/rwm/holtrachem/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 22, 2007                                         

Gov. Baldacci, DEP Commissioner David Littell and Maine
People's Alliance hold community update on cleanup of mercury-contaminated Holtrachem site.

AUGUSTA— On Wednesday, August 22, members of the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) joined Governor Baldacci and DEP Commissioner David Littell at the Blaine House in Augusta to announce the near completion of four phases of mercury cleanup at the site of the former HoltraChem facility in Orrington, Maine. Approval of the fifth phase in a series of steps to clean up the site to protect the environment and public health was announced as well.

“On behalf of the 28,000 MPA members in Maine, and especially those in the Orrington area, we are pleased to see the cleanup moving forward and we thank the governor for honoring the pledge he made in 2004 to make cleanup of the former Holtrachem site a priority for his administration,” said Jesse Graham, MPA Executive Director.
 
“Members of the Maine People's Alliance thank Governor Baldacci and Commissioner Littell for their vigilance in keeping Holtrachem cleanup a priority. Because of their work, Mallinckrodt, owner of the former Holtrachem site, has been held accountable for the mercury contamination,” added Graham.

MPA field canvassers will begin going door-to-door this week in Orrington to update residents on the status of the cleanup. Many Orrington residents have been active in the MPA campaign to ensure cleanup of the site, and Wednesday’s event was organized in part to recognize the concerns and commitment of area residents—those closest to and most at risk by mercury contamination at the site.

The clean up of the site has steadily progressed since 2003, beginning with the removal of the internal portions of the buildings and other process equipment known to be or suspected of being contaminated with mercury. Additional work included the removal of many tanks on the property and most recently the removal of some of the building structures.

“Now that the buildings on the former HoltraChem site are being demolished and removed, the site is beginning to appear quite different as we move ahead with the cleanup of this facility, said DEP Commissioner David Littell. “The infrastructure on the site, including most of the buildings themselves, is so heavily contaminated that it must be disposed of as hazardous waste. We have just approved a fifth phase of our initial cleanup to remove seven additional buildings and 20 additional tanks, and this will continue our work to improve the water quality in the Penobscot River and protect the health of Maine people by removing these sources of high-level mercury contamination from the river’s bank and from the community,” added Littell.

Since 1988, The Maine People's Alliance has worked to ensure that the Holtrachem cleanup process move forward, with the aim of preventing significant harm to human health and the environment. In addition to cleanup of the site itself, MPA has advocated for the assessment and cleanup of downstream mercury pollution. In 1999, MPA and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) commissioned a collection of sediment samples from the Penobscot River. The investigation revealed serious mercury contamination from Orrington all the way to upper Penobscot Bay.

In 2002, MPA and NRDC won a landmark legal decision ordering Mallinckrodt to fund the cost of an independent study to determine the extent of the existing harm to the river, the need for a remediation plan, and the process for completing such a remediation plan. The decision marked the first time an industrial polluter was held responsible for contaminating natural resources downstream of a plant site. In 2005, Mallinckrodt Inc. appealed the ruling, but in a December 2006 decision, the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed every aspect of the lower court’s decision. Mallinckrodt has now sought U.S. Supreme Court review of the ruling.

# # #

Maine People’s Alliance—Organizing for a Better Maine!

565 Congress St., Suite 200, Portland, Maine 04101; (207) 797-0967; mpa@mainepeoplesalliance.org
27 State Street, Suite 44, Bangor, Maine 04401; (207) 990-0672; jesse@mainepeoples alliance.org
145 Lisbon Street, Suite 200, Lewiston, Maine 04240; (207) 782-7876; kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org