[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 98 (Wednesday, May 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30697-30698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10836]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA R9-2019-13; FRL-10008-81-Region 9]


Notice of Proposed Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order 
on Consent With De Minimis Parties at the Omega Chemical Corporation 
Superfund Site in Los Angeles County, California

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed settlement; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (``CERCLA''), notice 
is hereby given that the Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA''), has 
entered into a proposed settlement, embodied in an Administrative 
Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent (``Settlement Agreement''), 
with one hundred and forty-five parties (the ``Settling De Minimis 
Parties'') that sent between one and three tons of waste to a solvent 
and refrigerant recyling facility that operated between 1976 and 1991 
in Whittier, California, called the Omega Chemical Corporation. Under 
the Settlement Agreement, the Settling De Minimis Parties agree to pay 
EPA $6,521,025.19 to resolve their liability for both past and future 
costs associated with the cleanup of the Omega Chemical Corporation 
Superfund Site (``Omega Site'') in Los Angeles County California.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 19, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Please contact Keith Olinger at [email protected] or 
(415) 972-3125 to request a copy of the Settlement Agreement. Comments 
on the Settlement Agreement should be submitted in writing to Mr. 
Olinger at [email protected]. Comments should reference the Omega 
Site and the EPA Docket Number for the Settlement Agreement, EPA R9-
2019-13. If for any reason you are not able to submit a comment by 
email, please contact Mr. Olinger at (415) 972-3125 to make alternative 
arrangements for submitting your comment. EPA will post its response to 
comments at https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0903349, EPA's web page for the Omega Site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Olinger, Enforcement Officer 
(SFD-7-5), Superfund Division, U.S. EPA Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, 
San Francisco, CA 94105; email: [email protected]; Phone (415) 972-
3125.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice of this proposed Settlement Agreement 
is made in accordance with the Section 122(i) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 
9622(i). The Settlement Agreement is a de minimis settlement agreement 
pursuant to Section 122(g) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9622(g), whereby the 
Settling De Minimis Parties, which are identified below, collectively 
agree to pay EPA $6,521,025.19. The Settlement Agreement resolves the 
Settling De Minimis Parties' liability for both past and future 
response costs at the Omega Site and provides the Settling De Minimis 
Parties with a site-wide covenant not to sue pursuant to Section 
122(g)(2) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9622(g)(2). Groundwater contamination 
extends approximately four-and-one-half miles south, southwest from the 
former Omega Chemical Corporation facility, where the Settling De 
Minimis Parties sent hazardous waste. Much of the plume of groundwater 
contamination at the Omega Site lies beneath a large commercial/
industrial area where chemicals released at other facilities have 
commingled with the contamination originating at the former Omega 
Chemical facility. Pursuant to a Consent Decree entered on March 31, 
2017, Docket No. 2:16-cv-02696 (Central District, California), between 
the United States and other potentially responsible parties (``PRPs'') 
at the Omega Site, EPA is obligated to share seventy percent of the 
money collected under this Settlement Agreement with certain PRPs that 
have incurred significant costs cleaning up contamination at the Omega 
Site and will continue to incur cleanup costs in the future. As of 
December 31, 2019, EPA had incurred more than $43 million in costs 
related to the Omega Site. After accounting for the transfer of a 
portion of the proceeds from this Settlement Agreement to certain PRPs 
at the Omega Site pursuant to the terms of the 2017 Consent Decree, EPA 
will have recovered more than $28 million of its costs.
    EPA will consider all comments received on the Settlement Agreement 
in accordance with the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this Notice and 
may modify or withdraw its consent to the Settlement Agreement if 
comments received disclose facts or considerations that indicate that 
the settlement is inappropriate, improper, or inadequate.

Parties to the Proposed Settlement

    ACD Holdings, LLC; Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.; Albertsons Companies

[[Page 30698]]

Inc. (for Vons Milk Plant); Alhambra Unified School District; Alinabal 
Holdings Corporation, as successor to Lamsco West, Inc.; Allfast 
Fastening Systems, LLC; Alltech Associates, Inc.; Amvac Chemical 
Corporation; Anacomp, Inc.; Anheuser-Busch, LLC; Antelope Valley Union 
High School District; Armtec Defense Products Co.; B. Braun Medical 
Inc., for American McGaw Laboratories; Barber Group, Inc.; Barnett Tool 
& Engineering; BP Lubricants USA, Inc.; Burbank Steel Treating, Inc.; 
Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority; California Institute of 
the Arts; California State University (Fullerton); California State 
University (Pomona); California State University (San Diego); 
California Steel Industries, Inc.; Calstrip Steel Corporation; 
Centinela Hospital Medical Center; Cerritos College; CIPCO, Inc. (f/k/
a, California Industrial Products, Inc.); Circor Instrumentation 
Technologies, Inc.; City of Beverly Hills; City of Burbank; City of 
Glendale; City of Inglewood; City of Palm Desert; City of Tustin; 
Climet Instruments Company; Closet Maid LLC; Conopco, Inc., successor 
to Lever Brothers Company; Consolidated Communications of California 
Company; County of San Diego; County of Ventura; Courtesy Chevrolet 
Center; Crossfield Products Corp.; Daikin Applied Americas, Inc.; 
Dasol, Inc. (f/k/a, Coronet Manufacturing Company, Inc.); DCH (Oxnard) 
Inc.; Desert Healthcare Foundation; Diamond Perforating Metal; Dick 
Browning, Inc.; Dignity Health d/b/a St. John Regional Medical Center; 
Dow-Key Microwave Corp.; Ducommun Labarge Technologies, Inc.; E.M.E., 
Inc.; Eagle Packaging, Inc.; Earnhardts Auto Center; Elliott Company, 
as successor to Ebara International Corporation; Eubanks Engineering 
Co.; Exhibitree, Inc.; Finishmaster, Inc.; Flextronics International 
USA, Inc.; Fontana Unified School District; Garden Grove Unified School 
District; Garner Glass Company; Gehr Industries; General Electric; 
Griswold Industries; Halbert Brothers, Inc.; Hardinge, Inc.; Hawker 
Pacific Aerospace; Heitman Properties; Hercules Hydrocarbon Holdings, 
Inc., as successor to Betz Energy Chemicals; Hoffmaster Group, Inc., as 
successor to Duni Corporation (West); Hogg & Davis, Inc.; Hyster-Yale 
Group, Inc.; Hyundai Translead, as successor to Hyundai Steel 
Industries; Industrial Truck Bodies & Equipment, Inc.; J.H. McCormick, 
Inc. d/b/a McCormick Construction Co.; J.R. Simplot Company; JMB Realty 
Corporation (for JMB Property Management); Jostens Inc.; Kaiser 
Foundation Health Plan, Inc.; Kemp Ford; Kennametal Stellite, LP; Long 
Beach City College; Los Feliz Ford, Inc.; Los Robles Regional Medical 
Center; Martin E-Z Stick Labels; Mazda Motor of America, Inc.; 
MemorialCare Health System, for Long Beach Memorial Medical Center; 
Mercedes Benz USA, LLC; Mitsubishi Cement Corporation; Moss Motors, 
Ltd.; Motion Picture and Television Fund; North Orange County Community 
College District; Ogner Motorcars, Inc.; Orcutt Union School District; 
P. H. Glatfelter Company; Pasadena City College; Peter Pepper Products, 
Inc.; Plasma Coating Corporation; Plasma Technology, Inc.; PMC 
Specialties Group, Inc.; Port of West Sacramento PRC-Desoto 
International, Inc.; Providence Health System--Southern California; 
QSC, LLC, as successor to QSC Audio Products, Inc.; R & K Metal 
Finishing; Ralphs Grocery Company; Randall/McAnany Company; Resident 
Group Services, Inc.; Rio Hondo College; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; 
Santa Barbara Unified School District; Scientific-Atlanta, LLC; 
Sensient Imaging Technologies, Inc.; SGL Technic LLC; Siemens Industry, 
Inc., as successor to Safetran Systems Corporation; Skov Auto Parts, 
Inc.; South Bay Cable Corp.; Space Systems; Space Systems/Loral, LLC 
(for Ford Aerospace); Spirol West, Inc.; Spring Street Towers; State of 
California Department of Developmental Services (for Fairview State 
Hospital); State of California Department of Developmental Services 
(for State of California (LSHDC); State of California Department of 
General Services; Sunnyvale Ford; Systron-Donner Corporation; T S 
Spray; Taiyo Yuden (U.S.A.) Inc.; Tanabe Research Laboratories USA, 
Inc.; Tap Plastics, Inc.; The ML Lawrence Trust; Tnemec Company, Inc; 
Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.; Unifirst Corporation; 
Universal Oil Products Company; Vertiv Corporation (as successor to 
Liebert Clean Room Systems); Wavell Huber Wood Products, Inc.; Western 
Pacific Fleet Service, Inc.; Weyerhaeuser Company; Wildwood Express: 
Windowmaster Products, Inc.; Young Touchstone Company, for Arrowsmith 
Power Systems, Inc.; Zeneca Inc.; Zieman Manufacturing Company.

    Dated: May 13, 2020.
Enrique Manzanilla,
Director, Superfund Division, EPA Region 9.
[FR Doc. 2020-10836 Filed 5-19-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P