Congressman Robert Garcia Welcomes the Addition of the Exide Technologies Site to the Superfund National Priorities List
Long Beach, CA – Today, Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed listing the former Exide Technologies, Inc. facility in Vernon, CA, on the Superfund National Priorities List, a key step toward a full Federal cleanup of the site:
“The EPA’s announcement is a critical step forward to a full Superfund Designation and a full federal cleanup of the Exide site. I will be working tirelessly to make sure the EPA pursues the strongest possible lead cleanup and remediation effort, to the highest possible standard. The federal government must bring justice to a community which has been overlooked time after time,” said Congressman Robert Garcia.
“For far too long, Southeast Los Angeles residents have suffered because of the dangerous contaminants that Exide dumped into their neighborhoods for decades. Today’s EPA announcement puts the Exide Vernon site on the pathway toward Superfund designation and justice for the many residents who have been impacted. Southeast Los Angeles deserves an exhaustive clean-up that puts the health and safety of families first and foremost, and it will take a unified partnership between federal, state, and local leaders to finally get it done. I will keep working alongside my colleagues to ensure that our federal and state agencies complete a thorough clean-up of lead and other contaminants and keep our communities informed. And I’ll continue fighting to secure federal funding to support the EPA’s role in the clean-up,” said Senator Alex Padilla.
With the proposed listing in the Federal Register, the EPA will open a 60-day public comment period to hear community voices on the proposed designation. A final decision is likely sometime in Spring 2025. If designated a Superfund site, the EPA will then need to formulate a remediation plan to cleanup the contamination at the site. The proposed listing cites TCE groundwater contamination, but this does not disqualify lead soil contamination from being part of the remediation plan in the future.
Exide Technologies' battery recycling plant released hazardous contaminants into the air, soil, and water, leaving behind a toxic legacy. Last year, Congressman Garcia and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to designate the former Exide Technologies Inc. facility to the Superfund National Priorities List. Garcia has also advocated directly with EPA Administrator Michael Regan during a recent Oversight hearing for placing Exide on Superfund. Garcia will continue to work to correct decades of missteps by the federal government that left Southeast Los Angeles communities susceptible to this toxic environmental pollution.
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