Lorain Properties Receive Covenants Not to Sue Under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 26, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Through the voluntary efforts of IRG Lorain LLC and the city of Lorain, two portions of the former Ford Lorain Assembly Plant property in Lorain have been investigated and remediated under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP). IRG Lorain plans to redevelop the properties for commercial/industrial use.
Ohio EPA has issued covenants not to sue for a 77-acre property located at 5401 Baumhart Road and a 20-acre property located at 7951 W. Erie Road. The properties are part of the 282-acre site that was home to the Ford Lorain Assembly Plant from 1958-2005.
Following standards developed by Ohio EPA, IRG Lorain and the city hired certified professionals to assess the sites, identify any areas of concern and remediate contamination to a level that would allow for commercial/industrial reuse. Remediation included the removal of contaminated soils.
A covenant not to sue protects the property’s owner or operator and future owners from being legally responsible to the State of Ohio for further environmental investigation and remediation. This protection applies only when the property is used and maintained in accordance with the terms and conditions of the covenant.
IRG Lorain recently remediated additional portions of the former assembly plant site and plans to seek additional covenants for those areas.
In the 17 years since Ohio EPA issued the first covenant under VAP, nearly 7,000 acres of blighted land have been revitalized at more than 350 sites across the state.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. In the past 40 years, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling. Ohio EPA….40 years and moving forward.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike Settles
mike.settles (at) epa.ohio (dot) gov
CITIZEN CONTACT:
Kristopher Weiss
kristopher.weiss (at) epa.ohio (dot) gov
