Rob Andrews: “I strongly urge the House conferees on this bill work to include language in the conference report that addresses…”

“I strongly urge the House conferees on this bill work to include language in the conference report that addresses concerns I have about a Superfund site in my district, the Gloucester Environmental Management Services, or GEMS, landfill. Specifically, I request that report language direct the Inspector General of the EPA to conduct an investigation into all financial transactions, including revenue and spending, by the GEMS Trust, a collection of responsible parties who are required to conduct the remediation of this highly polluted landfill. I am concerned about how the trust has financed its actions so far and have reason to believe that the trust has not seriously considered all viable remediation options. Mr. Chairman, 38,000 of my constituents live within a 3-mile radius of this landfill, some as close as 300 feet. We owe it to them to choose the safest and most environmentally sound remediation method, not simply the cheapest. The responsible parties should not get away with a Band-Aid solution to a major environmental hazard. I seek this Inspector General investigation because I fear that the EPA may be endorsing a treatment method that does not sufficiently protect the health of my community.”