Clay Praises Move of 1000 USDA Employees from Contaminated Goodfellow Federal Complex to Metropolitan Square Building in Downtown St. Louis
Clay Praises Move of 1000 USDA Employees from Contaminated Goodfellow Federal Complex to Metropolitan Square Building in Downtown St. Louis
Long Struggle Results in Victory for At-Risk Federal Employees
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri announced today that after a four-year struggle to move endangered federal workers from the highly contaminated Goodfellow Federal Complex in North St. Louis, 1000 employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be relocated to the Metropolitan Square Building at 211 N. Broadway in downtown St. Louis, the city’s tallest building. The move will be completed by September of 2021. Mr. Clay, Missouri’s Senior Democrat in Washington, has worked closely with the General Services Administration, the Public Building Service, and the American Federation of Government Employees to finally get these valued federal employees out of harms way.
“No one should have to choose between serving their country or sacrificing their health,” said the Congressman. “Since I became aware of the obvious unabated environmental hazards at this site and the terrible healthcare toll this has inflicted on so many federal employees; my goal was to first get these dedicated workers out of harms way, and then if possible, retain these good federal jobs for St. Louis. Today’s announcement by the GSA achieves both of those goals.”
For years, federal employees at the Goodfellow Complex have complained of unusual medical problems including high rates of certain cancers. The toxic contamination was confirmed in 2016 following an investigation by OSHA, which listed 83 hazardous substances present at the site. In a follow-up report the Inspector General of the GSA cited the Public Building Service for “Failing to adequately protect tenants, contractors and visitors from known hazards, despite having spent more than $1.9 million between 2002 - 2018 on at least 33 studies that identified numerous environmental hazards.”
The Goodfellow Federal Complex, which dates back to 1941, was originally part of the massive St. Louis Army Ammunition Plant. It was converted to civilian use in 1966.
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