The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pledging to expedite the ongoing cleanup of dioxins in the Saginaw Bay watershed.
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Tuesday that her agency is committed to taking a leadership role in dealing with dioxins from historic Dow Chemical company operations at its Midland plant.
"EPA is stepping up our commitment to this site, in partnership with the state of Michigan, so that we can accelerate this cleanup and deal with the pressing threats to human health and the environment," Jackson said in a statement.
"We are also redoubling our efforts to provide guidance on the science of dioxin health effects to inform cleanup decisions at this site and protect other communities, in Michigan and across the country, facing dioxin contamination."
Mary Draves, a Dow spokesman, could not be reached for comment.
Jackson said the EPA hopes to work cooperatively with Dow, but "the agency will not hesitate to use all tools at its disposal - including a wide range of penalties and sanctions - to ensure Dow Chemical upholds its responsibility to clean up this site.
"If Dow fails to meet its responsibilities, EPA will conduct the cleanup
at the company's expense."
http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/05/epa_pledges_strong_leadership.html
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