Richland County Property Receives Covenant Not to Sue Under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Honeywell International has received a covenant not to sue under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP) after investigating and remediating the former Prestolite property.
The property, located at 1125 National Pkwy., Mansfield, is a .7-acre vacant asphalt parking lot and adjoining 50-foot strip of trees and weedy vegetation. The area addressed by the VAP is part of a larger parcel that has been used for industrial purposes since 1973.
Following standards developed by Ohio EPA, Honeywell hired a certified professional to assess the property and address areas of environmental concern. Soil that contained volatile organic compounds and metals above Ohio EPA levels for commercial or industrial properties were removed and properly disposed. Steps also were taken to ensure any chemicals remaining on the site could not leach to ground water.
A covenant not to sue protects the property owner or operator and future owners from being legally responsible to the State of Ohio for further environmental investigation and remediation relating to known releases. The protection applies only when the property is used and maintained according to the terms and conditions of the covenant.
In the 19 years since Ohio EPA issued the first covenant not to sue under the VAP program, more than 8,800 acres of blighted land have been revitalized at nearly 450 sites across the state.
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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. Since then, 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
PUBLIC INTEREST CENTER, (614) 644-2160
MEDIA CONTACT: Dina Pierce
CITIZEN CONTACT: Darla Peelle
