The Northern Virginia Daily

Article date: September 19, 1996

 FMC says it won't help in Avtex building cleanup

By: Chris Phillips

Despite a request by the Environmental Protection Agency, the FMC Corp., won't voluntarily involve itself in work needed to clean up contaminated buildings at the former Avtex Fibers plant in Front Royal.

"FMC has declined to volunteer to perform or finance the project, it estimates will cost between $20 (million) and $40 million," said Caroline Oppleman, a spokeswoman for the corporation. “FMC's decision is primarily based on the fact that it did not own the plant or any of the chemicals used by Avtex at the time the facility was improperly shut down."

FMC received a letter of potential liability from the EPA last month that asks it to volunteer to take over the responsibility of cleaning buildings at the Superfund site. The corporation, which owned the plant for 13 of its 49 years of operation, has been conducting and financing the cleanup on the western part of the Avtex site, which includes the water treatment plant and the area west of the railroad tracks. The EPA has been handling investigation of the building areas.

In its response letter, FMC also provides technical comment on the EPA's Weston Report in an effort to establish a more appropriate plan, Ms. Oppleman said.

The corporation contends that the response action proposal in the report goes beyond the demolition and decontamination activities that are required to address the threatened release of hazardous waste from the plant buildings.

"Although it's not clear at this time how the EPA specifically will proceed, it is our understanding within the next six months EPA plans to undertake work to remove chemicals associated with the buildings,” Ms. Oppleman said. "FMC will continue to work cooperatively with EPA regarding its ongoing remedial efforts at the site and operation of the site's waste water treatment plant. To that end, FMC has requested an opportunity to discuss with the EPA future waste disposal activities."

Pat Gaughan, an EPA spokesman, said the agency is withholding comment on the FMC refusal to broaden the scope of its work to the buildings until it has an opportunity to review the letter.

Ms. Oppleman said the corporation doesn't believe it's responsible for costs for potential release of chemicals caused by the deterioration of the plant buildings that may have resulted from subsequent manufacturing use, normal wear and tear and neglect that may have occurred since it sold the plant to Avtex 20 years ago.

"FMC does not believe it is responsible for performing or financing work to address the buildings or chemicals in the buildings at the site,” she said. "FMC is committed to appropriately addressing site-related issues for which it is potentially responsible. FMC will continue cooperating with regulating agencies as activities progress at the site."

The plant was sold to Avtex in 1976 and operations continued until 1989, when the state revoked its waste water discharge permit after continued violations. Shortly thereafter, Avtex abandoned the facility and declared bankruptcy.