On Tuesday, July 25,2017, FMC held a meeting to introduce a few new personal who will be working either at the Middleport plant or associated with the arsenic cleanup. The attendees besides FMC related personnel included village leaders, school board members, the school superintendent and chairman of the MCIG.
Mr. John Paul Rossi in now the lead engineer for the environmental cleanup replacing Shawn Tolan. Shawn is still connected with the cleanup but will not be associated with the day to day activity.
Mr. Leonardo Picanto is the current interim plant manager replacing Greg Sullivan who left this past April. Mr. Picanto is from the FMC facility in Brazil.
Christina Kaba is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety in Philadelphia replacing Bob Forbes who retired at the end of 2016.
Roberta Kloda is manager for Environmental Health and Safety at the Middleport plant. Also Yolanda Rivero is a safety specialist.
FMC Middleport is placing an emphasis on employee safety both at the plant and in the home and community. Various programs are being implemented to further this goal
FMC is continuing to study and conduct remedial efforts for the various operative units in and surrounding Middleport except for the air deposition area and the Roy-Hart school which the DEC continues to do on a unilateral basis. FMC has won the court decision concerning the Agency selected remedy for the Air Deposition Area but the DEC is appealing. Until a ruling is rendered on the appeal, the judge has allowed the DEC to continue with the cleanup using their remedy (absolute max 20 PPM). However, this may change if the appeal goes in FMC's favor. The ruling is expected this coming fall. The suit concerns the DEC selected remedy as it was not one of the remedies outlined in the CMS for the Air Deposition Area. The ruling could impact the work for next year.
FMC is currently working on the CMS for Operative Unit 6, the Jeddo Creek Tributary, with an expected completion of the draft report by November of this year. It will then be submitted to the Agencies for review. If events go as in the past, the Agencies will want changes with the CMS, FMC will negotiate and make some, the modified CMS will be submitted, the Agencies hopefully will accept it, there will be a public comment period, comment responses will be published by the Agencies, a remedy selected (hopefully one in the CMS) and then work will begin.
As for the part of the tributary between Frances St and the Erie Canal, the Agencies have directed FMC to perform an Interim Corrective Measure (ICM) to remove contaminated soil from the creek bed and floodplain. The DEC has accepted the preliminary plan and FMC will submit the final plan on August 14. If the final plan is accepted, the work will begin in 2018 and be completed by fall 2019. Twenty six residential, commercial and public properties whose backyards are part of the floodplain will be effected. This work is not part of the law suit between FMC and the DEC
FMC is working on the RFI for OP3 which are the two areas north of the canal and east of the Niagara-Orleans County line
Dr. Klatt, school superintendent, stated it appears there may be 3 more phases of remediation at the school meaning 3 more years of work by the DEC. The area in front of the two schools bordering State St. will need to be done along with more areas to the rear and west of the high school and east of the middle school.
The Norco plant site has seen no activity and is considered part of the Air Deposition Area. It is up the the DEC to come up with a solution for that property pending the appeal.
FMC is continuing with the Home Value Assurance Program through 2018 for homes in the study areas. Homes that are for sale in Middleport are typically selling quickly and at good prices so the cleanup activity does not appear to be effecting that.
The MCIG website (middleport-future.com) has been down the last couple of days. It has been receiving an unusual number of hits the last few months and exceeded its allotted activity. The reason for these hits is not clear as is their source. It may be increased interest or it could be hackers. Programs are being put in place to determine the source.
