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Klobuchar Asks EPA for Rigorous Action on St. Louis Park Vapor Leak

Klobuchar requests thorough investigation and agency cooperation to assist state and local governments

December 6, 2007

Washington, D.C. – Today in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar urged a “comprehensive and thorough approach” to help the city of St. Louis Park investigate and resolve recent reports of underground leaks of chemical vapors in St. Louis Park, MN. 

Klobuchar specifically requested the EPA cover the cost of the inspection to determine the extent of, and any potential risks from, the problem.

St. Louis Park Mayor Jeff Jacobs commented on Klobuchar’s action stating, “The City of Saint Louis Park thanks Senator Klobuchar for her quick action on this issue.  The city is in uncharted waters here and it’s reassuring to know that the Senator is looking out for us and the interests of our citizens.”

The full text of the letter is below:

December 6, 2007

Stephen L. Johnson
Administrator
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Johnson,

 As you know, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 in coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Health, and the City of St. Louis Park has begun a study to determine the extent of, and any potential risks from, underground chemical vapors in St. Louis Park, MN.  I am pleased that the EPA has already begun to take action to investigate this matter and appreciate the early reports my staff has received from the city about your staff’s efforts to coordinate your work. Such early cooperation is commendable and necessary to build a strong working relationship. As I have learned in other areas requiring major Federal-State-Local partnership, sustained, transparent, pro-active engagement with the public about solutions is a critical ingredient in maintaining public confidence.

I also wish to commend you on participating in the public meetings set for December 13th and 15th.  They will no doubt go a long way toward providing the community with an understanding of how seriously the EPA addresses this mater.  My staff will be in attendance at those meetings should you wish to discuss anything with them in person.

 At this point it is my understanding that the study was prompted by the discovery of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) earlier this year in ground water and soil samples in the area of Highway 7 and Wooddale Avenue in Saint Louis Park.  While not yet found in the city drinking water, the presence of these VOC’s in the area has generated a reasonable concern in the community.  Included in the hundreds of structures in the search area are homes, schools, apartment buildings, businesses, daycare facilities, and religious centers of all denominations, and the people who live, work, and serve our citizens in them deserve only the most thorough and comprehensive approach to this problem.

 In addition to requesting periodic briefings from your staff to mine, I would appreciate a written response to the following questions:

• First, please clarify the role your agency will assume as it relates to investigating the origins of the pollution, determining what steps are necessary to remediate the source of the contamination, and what costs will be covered by EPA. Because it would be of particular use to have an agency with the experience of the EPA involved, I would encourage your agency to participate fully in the investigations and cover all related costs.

• Second, I understand that where VOC contamination has affected residential properties, the costs of necessary remediation for those properties will be covered by your agency.

• The city has not, however, received similar assurances related to other public buildings, including but not limited to schools and libraries, community buildings such as churches and synagogues, and commercial buildings.  A number of these structures provide services to the young and elderly, groups that are especially vulnerable to the effects of VOC exposure.  I would encourage you to include them in your remediation commitment.

• Fourth, I ask for clarification with regards to the boundaries of the study area and how that is determined as the study moves forward.  While I understand the criteria to choose the initial boundaries, those boundaries should be subject to reconsideration based on the ongoing results of the study. Therefore if unsafe concentrations of pollutants are discovered, the study area can be redrawn based on those findings, growing larger, until we can be confident that the full extent of the problem has been uncovered.  Please provide an assurance that the agency will adopt an appropriately flexible approach as it relates to the boundaries of the study area.

• Finally, I would request from your staff an estimated time line regarding the investigation and remediation of this problem and any other related key steps in your agency’s plan of action.

 Thank you again for the agency’s prompt start to its action.  I look forward to hearing from you on this matter and would welcome a meeting with you to discuss it.

      Sincerely,
      /s
      Amy Klobuchar
      United States Senator