Complete Cleanup for Superfund Sites Required by New York State DEC
Posted by Dan Socci on Tue, Jan 10, 2012 @ 05:55 AM
New remediation technologies make Superfund Site Cleanup cost-effective, fast, and feasible.
With the new year underway, as CEO of VeruTEK, I felt there was no better time for my inaugural blog. In addition, recent events in the field of environmental remediation, particularly brownfield clean up and development, provide further motivation for this discussion. At VeruTEK, I have the privilege of working with a talented team of professionals who developed one of the exciting new environmental cleanup chemistry technologies available in the industry today. We were very pleased with the recent announcement in New York of a U.S. Court of Appeals 5-2 decision to enforce a state Department of Environmental Conservation regulation to require environmental clean up to “pre-disposal conditions to the extent feasible.” This is in contrast to an opposing view that only “significant threats” need to be addressed.
While this court decision is a victory for communities in their efforts to require property owners to clean up toxic sites, Thomas Walsh, the lawyer for the companies, grouped under the name New York State Superfund Coalition, claimed a partial victory, saying the court left no doubt that “cost-effectiveness” should be a factor in deciding the thoroughness of cleanups.
Cost-Effective Technologies for Superfund Site Cleanup
Walsh’s reference to cost-effectiveness as a determining factor in the decision-making process opens the door for broader acceptance of new technologies in the remediation industry. As property owners are motivated, or obligated, to take more thorough cleanup action, they will be receptive to alternative technologies that are proven to be more cost effective, as well as environmentally friendly.
VeruTEK has successfully remediated multiple brownfield sites in the Northeast using its patented S-ISCO technology to achieve outstanding results in providing permanent destruction of contaminants and converting the sites to valuable development assets.
We applaud the U.S. Court of appeals decision and hope there is additional similar regulatory action to promote brownfield clean up and the expanded use of new, green remediation technologies.
