Hercules, a Defense Contractor, to Pay for Cleanup Costs at Navy Site

In an unprecedented move, a former defense contractor, Hercules Incorporated settled a case with the US Department of Justice in which the contractor has agreed to pay for cleanup costs at a site in West Virginia. The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) is a Navy-owned faciltiy that Hercules operated from 1945 until 1995. Heavy metals and other solvent wastes were disposed of on-site until 1978.

This particular settlement is the first time that a military contractor has been held responsible for costs arising from a Superfund site. Currently, the Navy is working with the EPA to restore the ABL grounds and adjacent areas that suffered run-off and cross-contamination. ABL was placed on the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1994. The NPL is a step in the Superfund cleanup process. Superfund sites are sites in which hazardous materials have been dumped and left behind by industry and manufacturing among other groups.

Hercules, Incorporated will contribute $12.95 million that will go towards defraying the costs of the EPA and Navy's cleanup efforts at the ABL site. A portion of the money will also go toward other Navy sites that are being restored, as per the settlement stipulations.

In the DOJ press release, Ronald Tenpas, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division said, "This settlement is part of an expanding enforcement partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense." He continued to explain that the two agencies are working together in order to hold more contractors responsible for environmental damages and the costs that accrue as part of the cleanup efforts by the EPA.

The Navy's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment, Don Schregardus added in the press release, "This agreement memorializes our shared commitment to further protect our nation by responsibly cleaning up our environment. The Navy appreciates Hercules' support in these efforts."