Massena, Salina sites get the most money from cleanup fund.
The former GM Inland Fisher Guide plant in Salina (seen in 1993) and parts of Ley Creek will be cleaned up with $33 million from an environmental trust fund.Salina, NY -- The former GM Inland Fisher Guide plant property in Salina and parts of Ley Creek will be cleaned up with $33 million set aside for Central New York in the largest environmental trust fund in U.S. history, state and federal officials said Wednesday.
The local cleanup money is part of a $773 million deal the White House announced Wednesday among the federal government, the old General Motors, 14 states and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
Overall, the trust fund will pay for cleanup and redevelopment work at 89 former GM properties left contaminated or in need of restoration after GM declared bankruptcy last year, according to terms of a settlement submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The White House said two-thirds of the 89 properties are contaminated with hazardous waste.
When the proposal was announced in May, New York state officials raised concerns that the settlement would not set aside enough money for the Salina properties, which are polluted with PCBs and other chemical waste.
But on Wednesday, state officials said they were pleased that New York would receive a total of $153.8 million — the second-highest total of any state — to pay for cleanup of former GM properties in Massena and Salina.
“We think the $153 million in total for New York will be sufficient to pay for the sites,” said Peter Iwanowicz, the state’s deputy secretary for the environment.
“We played a significant role in trying to get as much for New York as we can, and we’re happy with the outcome,” Iwanowicz said. “We think the $33 million (for Salina) will be enough to clean up the plant site and the PCBs and contaminants.”
If the money is not enough to finish the cleanup work at the old plant site and Ley Creek, the state could go back to the bankruptcy court and request more, he said.
Of the 89 properties, the single-highest amount — $120 million – was set aside to clean up the former GM Powertrain plant in Massena. The $31.1 million set aside to clean up the Salina plant site and Ley Creek ($1.9 million) was the third-highest total in the nation.
The Salina plant, which manufactured plastic car parts, closed in 1993, eliminating 1,300 jobs. Since then, the 800,000-square-foot plant has been partially redeveloped into the Salina Industrial Powerpark. Sixteen light industrial and warehouse tenants occupy about 65 percent of the space and employ about 550 people.
The trust fund would pay for the removal of toxic waste, including heavy metals and PCBs, left behind in soil at the Salina plant and along portions of Ley Creek. The creek runs along the former GM plant site and empties into Onondaga Lake.
Cleanup work at the plant site and along Ley Creek had been paid for by GM since 1993, but delayed since the automaker declared bankruptcy last year.
Contact Washington correspondent Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com or 571-970-3751.