News Releases - 2003

Illinois Officials Concerned About Lack of Funding

Jennison-Wright Denied Funding for Second Consecutive Year

Springfield, Ill. -- The Illinois EPA has just learned that the U.S.EPA has again decided not to fund the cleanup of the Jennison-Wright site, an Illinois Superfund site in Granite City.

"Governor Blagojevich and I are extremely concerned that we did not receive this funding," said Illinois EPA Director Renee Cipriano. "Since we were also denied the funding to clean up this site last year, it was my expectation that it would be funded this year."

"The EPA's decision to deny funding for cleanup activities at the Jennison-Wright Corporation Superfund site in Granite City is very disappointing,' said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Il.).

"Despite the Bush Administration's statements to the contrary, these contaminated sites pose a real and immediate health risk to the community -- the Jennison-Wright site is surrounded by houses and children playing in the area can access the site through broken pieces of fence," Sen. Durbin added.

Durbin has also written a letter to Marianne Horinko, the Acting Adminstrator of the USEPA, calling for a full explanation of how and when the determination was made that the Jennison-Wright site does not pose an immediate health risk, and also asking for a detailed explanation of the agency's plan for fully funding a cleanup.

Cipriano also wants a more thorough explanation of when USEPA will provide funds to allow the cleanup to move forward.

"As the Superfund polluter fees run out, the EPA will be forced to deny more and more communities cleanup funds for sites that need them, and that is just not acceptable," said Sen. Durbin.

Jennison-Wright is an abandoned railroad tie-treating facility and is comprised of approximately 20 acres of land at 900 West 22nd Street in Granite City. Operations at the facility began prior to 1921 and continued until 1989, with three separate companies operating at the site: Midland Creosoting Company, the Jennison-Wright Corporation and 2-B-J.W., Inc (which did business as Jennison-Wright). Jennison-Wright Corporation filed for bankruptcy in November 1989 and the site has remained vacant since 1990.

The Jennison-Wright site contains 5600 cubic yards of dioxin-contaminated soil that needs to be removed. All preliminary work and planning have been completed and actual cleanup can begin as soon as federal funding is received. In anticipation of funding from the U.S.EPA, the state has already cleared the site, demolished and removed two silos and several buildings, including asbestos removal, removed numerous piles of scrap metal, concrete, wood and trash and approximately 5000 feet of steel tram rail.

The site also contains highly contaminated groundwater, below the site. This groundwater will remain contaminated until the soils are remediated, and the levels of contamination will continue to worsen.

Without this funding, the site will not be cleaned up. "This site has been designated as a Fund-lead site, and since there are no viable Potentially Responsible Parties, all funding for cleanup efforts must be obtained through the USEPA," said Cipriano. "This is an economically deprived area that deserves attention."

The site has been on the National Priorities (Superfund) List since June 1996.