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MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wood River may take legal action against BP

Wood River officials are considering legal action to hasten the clean up of contaminated soil in the city. As pictured during a dedication ceremony in 2002, Deer Park was one area targeted for remediation.

Cipriano

WOOD RIVER – City manager Jim Schneider and councilman Bill Redden say Wood River is considering legal action over BP Amoco's slow cleanup of refinery pollution.

"We are not happy with the ways things are going with BP," Schneider said.

"Things are taking too long," he said.

Schneider said he and mayor Fred Ufert would reserve further comment.

Councilman Redden said, "We are going to have to do something."

He said, "It seems like they are carrying it on out and not doing anything."

Wood River, BP Amoco and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced a cleanup plan in 2002.

The Record reported last week that the cleanup collapsed in 2004, when soil tests stopped yielding clean results and started showing heavy metals and other poisons.

The Record reported that Illinois EPA did not establish any reason for the reversal.

Schneider said the story "got people pretty revved up."

In Springfield, however, no one got revved up enough to make a statement.

The Record asked State Rep. Dan Beiser (D-Alton), State Sen. William Haine (D-Alton) and State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Collinsville) for comments, but none of them responded.

The Record also left messages with former Illinois EPA director Renee Cipriano, who touted the cleanup project in 2002. She did not respond.

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