By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The US Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to remove the Love Canal and two other toxic waste sites in Niagara County from its Superfund list.
EPA officials say clean-up work has been completed at all three sites. Besides Love Canal, the other two recommended for deletion are the old 102nd Street Landfill and the Niagara County Refuse site in Wheatfield. EPA Regional Spokesman Mike Basile says it's "a landmark day" for the county.
"We have construction complete at all three of these sites. The remedies are in place. They're protective of human health and the environment," Basile said. "The EPA, in concert with the State Department of Environmental Conservation, will continue to monitor these sites into the future."
The EPA will accept public input on the deletions now through the middle of April. A final decision from the agency is expected within six months to a year. Basile said he expects reaction from the public will be favorable.
"Revitalization around Love Canal and other sites is occuring," Basile said. "I think this is something that the folks in Niagara Falls and Niagara County want to put behind them. The sites are true success stories."
US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said the proposed removal of the three sites is "a sign of significant progress" but that more work needs to be done. She charges the Bush administration with curtailing Superfund clean-ups in recent years.