The U.S. Environmental Agency recently announced that $22 million has been received from D.S.C. of Newark Enterprises, Inc. and its sole shareholder, Anthony Coraci, for their liability in a settlement.
The settlement intends to recover federal and state government costs for cleanup and for natural resource damages caused by contamination at the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Superfund site in South Plainfield, New Jersey.
Cornell-Dubilier Electronics, Inc. manufactured electronics parts at a 26-acre facility from 1936 to 1962. In 1998 the EPA added the Cornell-Dubilier to the Superfund National Priorities List because of harmful chemicals found in soil and ground water.
PCBs and solvents were used during the company's manufacturing process and it is alleged that PCB-laden materials and other hazardous substances were disposed of at the facility via dumping into water and soil. Releases continued long after Cornell-Dubilier's closure.
PCBs are chemicals known for their ability to persist in the environment for long periods of time. They can effect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems of both humans and animals. Their use was mostly banned by the EPA in 1979.
To date, the EPA's cleanup costs for the Cornell-Dubilier site exceed $180 million, with estimated costs for future cleanup phases reaching $252 million.
"The legal agreement to recover a portion of the costs of the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Superfund site means that the responsible parties will bear their share of the financial burden for cleaning up this site," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "The EPA searches for polluters legally responsible for the contamination at sites that are placed on the Superfund list and it seeks to hold those parties accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups."
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