D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh wants to block federal regulators from seizing contaminated properties along the Anacostia River so the land can potentially be more quickly cleaned and developed.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has threatened to take over the cleanup process of three toxic properties along the river if the city doesn't act by mid-December to force the property owners to remove contaminants. But the EPA is notoriously slow, often taking more than a decade to get projects done, and neither the D.C. attorney general nor the District Department of the Environment have the power to force landowners to act.
To fix that, the Ward 3 councilwoman has introduced a bill to give District authorities the tools they need to force property owners to clean up. Cheh told The Washington Examiner that she'll soon introduce emergency legislation to make sure a version of the bill is passed in time to meet the EPA's deadline.
"Even if these sites are not developed, they could be used for a recreational purpose," Cheh said. "Not having these sites cleaned up impedes the opportunity to functionally use them."
By: Freeman Klopott
Examiner Staff Writer
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Councilwoman-fighting-EPA-over-contaminated-riverfront-property-1587193-108757804.html#ixzz15aX05JIS
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