Upton statement on Allied Paper/Kalamazoo River Superfund Cleanup

Statement

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, released the following statement after the EPA and Justice Department announced a $245 million agreement to clean up and fund future response actions at a significant portion of the Allied Paper Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site.

Upton spoke with the EPA on Tuesday.

"This is welcomed news for our community and our environment, that's for sure. We have been working with our local, state, and federal partners on this issue for years, and today's announcement marks an important step," Upton said. "Protecting the health and safety of southwest Michigan families is one of my top priorities, and cleaning this site up and restoring it is absolutely necessary for the well-being of our communities."

This Superfund site has been listed on the EPA Administrator's Emphasis List of Superfund sites targeted for immediate, intense action. Each site on the list has a short-term milestone to provide the basis for tracking the site's progress.

According to the EPA and Department of Justice, under the settlement terms, NCR Corporation has agreed to spend approximately $135.7 million cleaning up three areas of OU 5. OU 5 includes 80 miles of the Kalamazoo River and three miles of Portage Creek. In addition, NCR will pay:

-$76.5 million to EPA for past and future costs in support of river cleanup activities;
-$27 million to natural resource trustees of the Kalamazoo River Natural Resource Trustee Council for natural resources damage assessment and claims; and
-$6 million to State of Michigan for past and future costs.

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