CVO Remediation Team Earns EPA Honor

DETROIT (08/06/2014)(readMedia)-- A team of professionals from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were presented a National Notable Achievement Award from the EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response for their innovative work on remediation at a RACER Trust property in Ypsilanti Township, Mich.

The team - project manager Kevin Lund and Deborah MacKenzie-Taylor from MDEQ, and Peter Felitti, Jean Greensley and Peter Ramanauskas from EPA - was recognized for using innovative approaches to delineate, characterize, and remediate environmental impacts through the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) cleanup and disposal program at RACER's Company Vehicle Operations property on Tyler Road.

Using 3-D models constructed from high-resolution site characterization soil data, the team provided a regulatory roadmap for evaluating and selecting the remedial option. The team then worked with RACER Trust and its environmental consultant, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, during implementation of the excavation remedy to address conditions encountered during that phase of the work.

A coordinated approval process between MDEQ and EPA allowed expedited approvals and integration of State and Federal regulatory requirements.

"The leadership and cooperation provided by the EPA and MDEQ team has been extraordinary, helping us to make significant progress," said Grant Trigger, Michigan Cleanup Manager for RACER. "Their team deserves this recognition."

The impacted area contained pockets of highly contaminated material in soil and groundwater, including PCBs and chlorinated solvents. Computer modeling enabled the remedial team to design appropriate targeted cleanup measures based on impacts, which included methods of excavation, storage and disposal.

Sampling and modeling took place throughout 2012 and into 2013. Excavation and disposal took place toward the end of 2013, with final site cover restored in early 2014.

RACER Trust marketed the property for sale while the remedial activities were ongoing. The property was sold to a local company, International Turbine Industries, which plans to use the property to expand its jet engine repair and overhaul business.

About RACER Trust: The RACER (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response) Trust was created to clean up and position for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy. RACER is one of the largest holders of industrial property in the United States and is the largest environmental response and remediation trust in U.S. history. When the Trust was formed, it owned properties at 89 locations in 14 states, principally in the Midwest and Northeast. The Trust, which is independent, was created by a settlement agreement in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court between the U.S. Government, the 14 states where the former GM properties are located, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, which owns land adjoining one of the properties in Upstate New York. For more information, please visit our website: www.racertrust.org.