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MidAmerican, U.S. Reach Deal Over Property
Mar 31 - Waterloo Courier MidAmerican Energy has reached a tentative agreement with the government over remediation of 4.7 acres of property that once held a coal gasification plant near the Cedar River. The land was designated a Superfund cleanup site because of hazardous coal tar that was allegedly released into the soil and groundwater when the plant was operated between 1901 and 1956, according to court records. The site is located between Sycamore Street and the river near the former Rath Packing facility. The United States government filed an action in federal court in Cedar Rapids to recoup the $87,000 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has spent to monitor the site and cleanup efforts to date as well as to collect for future costs. Officials for the government and MidAmerican Energy filed a 72-page consent decree to settle the matter Thursday. As part of the settlement, MidAmerican will pay the $87,000 and other costs but doesn't admit any liability or acknowledge any hazardous release. A remediation plan filed with the decree calls for barring the drilling of water wells in the area and prohibiting residential development. Under terms of the agreement, the plan won't become official until after the public has been given a chance to comment on it. To inform the public, the EPA has a community relations plan, which could include meetings or other activities, but the details weren't available Friday. ----- Copyright (c) 2007, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. |