Congressman Robert Garcia, Senators Feinstein and Padilla, Call on EPA to Approve Superfund Designation for Toxic Lead Cleanup in Southeast L.A. County

Washington D.C.— Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) along with Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate neighborhoods in Southeast Los Angeles County impacted by lead contamination from a former Exide Technologies Inc. facility as a Superfund site. The letter can be found here.

“These communities have been denied the basic right to a safe and healthy environment,” said Congressman Garcia. “Enough is enough. Politically connected polluters can’t be free to walk away, while working class families pick up the pieces. It’s time for the federal government to step up provide the expertise and accountability these residents deserve.”

 Exide Technologies was responsible for dumping lead and other hazardous contaminants into the air, soil, and water surrounding their Vernon battery recycling plant. This contamination has impacted mostly working-class, Latino communities who continue to suffer from cancer, asthma, learning disabilities, dangerous levels of lead in their blood, and more. Under the Trump Administration, the EPA and Department of Justice supported a bankruptcy plan for Exide that let them walk away from all criminal liability and responsibility to clean up the facility and surrounding areas, leaving California taxpayers on the hook for the largest environmental clean-up in state history.

“There has been misstep after misstep by just about everyone involved following Exide’s crimes that forced communities in Southeast Los Angeles to live with toxic pollution that continues to poison their families,” said Senator Padilla. “I’m joining my colleagues in calling on the EPA to take action to finally provide justice and guarantee a healthy environment for our communities.”

Thanks to Governor Newsom and the State Legislature, California has allocated more than $750 million in taxpayer funding to address the crisis through cleanup and remediation efforts, soil testing, and community outreach. Despite this, the scale of the crisis and concerns about the effectiveness and future funding of clean-up efforts make it clear that only the federal government has the capacity to resolve this situation. Designating these areas as a Superfund site will help provide critical resources and expertise to ensure Southeast L.A. County communities can count on a thorough clean-up that prioritizes the health and safety of residents.

Congressman Garcia remains committed to addressing environmental injustice and looks forward to working with the EPA and members of the community to ensure Southeast L.A. receives the resources needed to protect public health. Full letter here. 

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