BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

MASSENA — The General Motor’s Superfund site in Massena has received a portion of a $1 billion fund from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year.

The fund will be used to assist in the cleanup of 22 Superfund sites, while also expediting over 100 other ongoing cleanups across the country, federal officials say.

Officials did not offer specific figures for the project as of press time.

“Cleaning up long-delayed toxic sites like GM Massena is exactly what we had in mind when we supercharged the Superfund program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Senator Chuck Schumer.

“Now EPA needs to put these new federal dollars to use ASAP and work with North Country and tribal leaders to finish the cleanup and ready the site for reuse.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also spoke to the funding, saying it is essential to clean up the site that has contaminated soil and water in Massena.

“For years, the GM Superfund site has contaminated the soil and water around Massena, creating a serious health hazard for communities in the area. I’m grateful that funds we secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable EPA to help clean up PCB-contaminated Tribal properties in the area,” said Senator Gillibrand.

The site, which includes a former aluminum die-casting plant that manufactured cylinder heads, was in operation from 1959 until 2009 when GM filed for bankruptcy.

Officials say during that time industrial waste was disposed of on-site, contaminating groundwater, soil and river sediment with PCBs, volatile organic compounds and phenols.

EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities list in 1984.

Phase one of the work included the destruction and removal of the 890,000-square-foot plant.

In 2011 the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust was formed to oversee the cleanup, which to date has accounted for over $155 million of RACER’s total budget.

EPA, the SRMT Environment Division, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) all oversee the work being conducted at the site.

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal officials have long been vocal of the cleanup efforts, telling officials that toxic waste from the site has continued to contaminate tribal land and nearby water sources, continuing to make tribal members sick.

Tribal officials have also been critical of the Grasse River remediation, which was completed on Oct. 15, 2021.

The project sought to remove significant amounts of contaminated sediment before capping the base of the river. A portion of the cap failed just months after completion after an ice jam tore apart the cap in what officials called a “scouring event,” which led to the exposure of hazardous waste.

RACER has said they have the funds for the cleanup design of the Tribal soil and sediment, however funding was short to conduct the actual cleanup.

Federal officials say the funding released for the site will allow RACER to conclude that cleanup project.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will support the next phase of the ongoing cleanup efforts at the GM Superfund site. The funds will be used to remove approximately 4,200 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil and 2,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediments. This work will help to protect the environment, public health, and ensure that this portion of the site is properly cleaned and safe to use,” federal officials say.

The $1 billion released is the second wave of funding from the $3.5 billion allocated for Superfund cleanup work in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, officials say.