President Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency says he will visit and clean up a landfill contaminated with nuclear waste in Bridgeton.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley asked Lee Zeldin to commit to prioritizing the cleanup of nuclear contamination at the Westlake Landfill and to visit the site.
Zeldin agreed to both, writing in a response that, “I look forward to visiting your home state and the West Lake Landfill site specifically.”
Radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project was improperly dumped in 1973 in the Westlake Landfill, which is now overseen by the EPA as a Superfund site. That means it is among the nation’s most contaminated land.
Hawley said cleanup has been painfully slow for the Missourians living near the site.
“I think it's important to see the real impact, that this is not just a name on a sheet, this isn't just a name on the Superfund list, but that real folks have lost their lives,” Hawley said. “They have lost family members. They have children with diseases.”
Zeldin also told Hawley that if confirmed he would speak with regional EPA staff on the timeline for remediation and “opportunities for efficiencies.”
“I commit to making this a priority, keeping in mind that residents in the area have waited years for remedial actions to ensue,” Zeldin wrote.
Hawley also asked Zeldin about the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ call for the EPA to take over a larger portion of the site. In mid-January, the state agency sent a letter to the EPA saying there is a high probability of radiological materials in a part of the site that is under state jurisdiction. Zeldin did not commit to assuming responsibility, but Hawley said he would continue to press for that.
Still, Hawley said he would support Zeldin's nomination based on his comments on this issue. The Senate confirmed him as EPA head on Wednesday afternoon.
“I hope that this is going to be a new chapter with the EPA in Missouri,” Hawley said. “We're going to quit doing things like trying to regulate the water, the rainwater, that falls on the land of our farmers, and start cleaning up the horrific disasters that we have right in our backyards.”
Other sites that are contaminated in the region, including Coldwater Creek, are overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers through the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program. Hawley said the mix of responsibility among federal agencies is a deep source of frustration.
“My message to all of these people is, I don't care who has the jurisdiction, I want it cleaned up,” Hawley said.
Last week, Hawley and a bipartisan group of colleagues reintroduced the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. The fund for Americans harmed by U.S. nuclear programs has expired, but Hawley has been looking for opportunities to get it back in place and add ZIP codes to it. The legislation has passed the Senate twice, but it has failed over cost concerns.
This story has been updated.
