Public hearing slated on HoltraChem cleanup

ORRINGTON – The public hearing requested by several people who attended a June meeting on the HoltraChem Manufacturing Co. has been set for next month, according to a notice issued last week by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region I office in Boston.

The purpose of the June 20 meeting was to present an overview of interim measures taken to contain mercury at the site, proposed corrective actions and target levels for mercury and other toxins at the site of the former chemical plant.

Before those presentations got under way, several audience members demanded a public hearing be held – one with adequate notice. Due to a delay in the EPA mailroom, the result of post-Sept. 11 precautions, meeting notices were not delivered locally until two days before the last meeting.

Although environmental officials said earlier that a public hearing was not required at this juncture of the planning process, nothing prevented one from being held. To that end, a formal public hearing has been set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at Center Drive School. Consequently, the EPA has extended the 30-day comment period that began June 20 until the day of the hearing, resulting in a 54-day comment period.

Unlike the June meeting, the public hearing’s aim is to gather testimony for the benefit of the decision-making agencies, namely the EPA and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. While EPA and DEP staff might ask questions to clarify their understanding of what is being stated for the record, they won’t be answering questions from the public during the hearing.

The proceedings will be recorded by a court stenographer and later transcribed into a written record. A written response to the public’s comments will be issued after the comment period.

According to a fact sheet issued by the EPA, a hearing officer will read a brief opening statement and then swear in those who intend to testify. A registration sheet will be posted at the meeting room entrance.

Testimony begins after a presentation by staff from Camp Dresser & McKee, the Massachusetts environmental consultant former owner Mallinckrodt Inc. hired to study the extent of contamination and recommend a cleanup strategy.

Speakers will be called upon in the order they sign in. Exhibits and written testimony will be accepted at the hearing.

Copies of site investigation results and reports supporting the proposed protection standards can be seen at the Orrington Public Library and are on file with the DEP in Augusta and the EPA in Boston. For more information, call Waterman at (617) 918-1369 or Stacy Ladner, DEP supervisor for the cleanup project, at 287-2651.