Epa waiting on asbestos plan before building demolition

Moline, Illinois â€" The owner of a former nurse’s dormitory is hoping to demolish and redevelop the site, but until the Environmental Protection Agency sees an asbestos remediation plan for the site, all work is halted. The EPA has now notified owner Mike Shamsie that it may refer the case to the Attorney General’s office. The former dormitory was scheduled for demolition last summerâ€"however the EPA received an anonymous complaint that improper demolition activities were being carried out on site. The subsequent site investigation located asbestos on the property. Following the discovering the EPA issued a violation notice, citing violations of the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act, for improper handling, removal, and disposal of asbestos waste. The notice was issued on September 5, 2007. The EPA also requested that the development project hire a licensed contractor to design an asbestos removal plan that would provide details of handling, removal, and disposal of the asbestos on the site. However, more than six months later the EPA has still not received the plan. Lew Steinbrecher, a Moline city administrator, said that the EPA had issued a notice to begin legal action in Mid-March. The developer had thirty days to comply, and that time period has now expired, but Steinbrecher said he did not know what action would be taken. The EPA must now provide notice of its decision to refer the federal Clean Air Act and the Pollution Control Board violations to the Attorney General. The EPA still hopes to receive an asbestos removal plan, but the agency still has no plan, or even any information to suggest a contractor has been hired to create one. After a remediation plan has been lodged with the EPA, the agency must review it, and then accept the plan so work can begin. The city of Moline would like the asbestos removed as soon as possible, but would prefer it to be carried out cautiously. The EPA has also advised that the city proceed carefully in its involvement in the case, because of the possibility of further disturbance of the asbestos that the city might become financially responsible for. Steinbrecher said, “On the advice of the Illinois EPA, we have been very cautious in any enforcement actions on our part until it releases the property for demolition…If we order the property owner do certain things and those actions result in further disturbance of the asbestos, we could be financially responsible for the cleanup.” (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)