Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of the proposed addition of the former Exide facility in Vernon to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). This designation would make the site eligible for federal funding aimed at long-term, permanent cleanup.
The Newsom Administration has strongly supported this Superfund designation to advance California’s ongoing cleanup efforts. To date, these efforts have remediated lead contamination for over 5,300 properties in the surrounding community, which is disproportionately affected by pollution. California has invested more than $770 million to address contamination resulting from Exide’s operations.
“This is a huge step forward in our critical work to protect surrounding communities from Exide’s toxic legacy. The Superfund designation would bring in vital federal resources to further the state’s ongoing cleanup – one of the largest in U.S. history. We look forward to continued progress with federal partners to remedy this decades-long injustice and do right by our communities,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
The U.S. EPA will hold a 60-day public comment period on the NPL addition proposal.
