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Scott Miller, Remedial Project Manager Superfund Remedial Branch USEPA Region 4 Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street Atlanta, GA 30303
Scott Miller, Remedial Project Manager Superfund Remedial Branch USEPA Region 4 Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street Atlanta, GA 30303 May 30, 2013 Dear Mr. Miller, As I told you in person when you came to my door earlier this month, you do not have my permission to enter my property; neither does Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., Tetra Tech, Mactec (AMEC), Kestrel Ecological Services, or anyone working for Beazer East, Inc./Koppers, Inc., US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP for soil sampling or any activity that’s part of the shameful “off-site soil remedial action”. As you already very well know, on my property I have already replaced up to four feet of toxic soil with clean soil several times trying to protect my family- and my soil continues to test extremely high in dioxin, arsenic, PAHs and other Koppers chemicals. My house is still making me and my family sick, and your six inches to one foot of clean soil won’t do me or anybody else any good. Stay off of my property. I am not taking part in EPA’s and Beazer East’s so-called “off-site soil remediation”. Mr. Roy Geiersbach and other neighbors have had twenty to forty feet of toxic soil replaced with clean soils and two years later, the new soil tested was every bit as contaminated as the old soils, even worse. EPA and Beazer East know this, and know that your soil cover-up won’t help any of us residents. Koppers contamination has taken my surviving family members’ health and peace of mind away forever. We have suffered too much for too long to suffer this outrageous sham too, and will not take part in any of the soil scraping and cover-up that you are trying to force on us innocent residents when you should be giving us permanent relocation out of homes that are killing us. Your “remediation” doesn’t do a thing to move our families out of our dangerous homes. Shame on you, EPA! Tell your contractors: NO employee of Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., Mactec (AMEC), Tetra Tech, Kestrel Ecological Services, US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP may trespass on my property at any time. This also applies to any employees of Alachua County or the City of Gainesville trespassing my property at any time for any activities connected to the “off-site soil remediation” in Stephen Foster Neighborhood. My surviving family members and I don’t want to be entombed here- we want out of this toxic neighborhood! Farinda O’Steen
Another Family Rejects Beazer East/EPA’s Dangerous and Disingenuous “off-site soil remedial action”
4 JunScott Miller, Remedial Project Manager Superfund Remedial Branch USEPA Region 4 Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street Atlanta, GA 30303
May 15, 2013
Mr. Miller et al,
We still do not grant access to our property, parcel 08409-000-000, to Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., Tetra Tech, MACTEC (AMEC), Kestrel Ecological Services, or any other entities or individuals working on behalf of Beazer East, Inc., US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP for soil sampling or any other activity related to the dangerous and disingenuous “off-site soil remedial action”.
Let us again plainly state that we are not participating in any phase of EPA’s and Beazer East’s “off-site soil remediation”. As you well know, in our neighborhood it has been repeatedly illustrated that clean replacement soils quickly become as contaminated as the replaced soils, sometimes even more contaminated. Further, your “remediation” fails to address the greater, more immediate danger posed to our families by the dioxin-saturated interiors of our homes.
We refuse to participate in your purely cosmetic psychological exercise designed to deceive residents into the false belief that our homes and gardens will no longer be a serious toxic threat to our families. This includes any and all phases of the soil scraping and cover-up that you are trying to force on innocent residents in lieu of providing the real protective action that our suffering community needs and deserves.
Please inform your contractors: NO employee of Tetra Tech, MACTEC (AMEC), Kestrel Ecological Services, Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP may trespass our property at any time without both our explicit permission and our actual physical presence while you are there. This prohibition also applies to any employees of Alachua County or the City of Gainesville intending to trespass our property for any activities connected to the “off-site soil remediation” in Stephen Foster Neighborhood.
Please contact attorney Stephen Murakami, as instructed in this email which you received on July 6, 2012:
Dear Mr. Miller: I believe my client has made it abundantly clear by her unequivocal instructions and notice set forth in her message, that she does not wish to participate in any additional soil or dust sampling conducted by you or any of your agents or contractors. In the future, should you require any information pertaining to the Kennedy’s property, kindly contact me in advance of any attempt to secure the Kennedy’s permission or authorization to enter upon their property for any purpose. Sincerely, Stephen David Murakami, Esq. Attorney at Law
Please reply to our email so that we know that you understand its contents.
Sincerely,
Sandra Watts Kennedy and Kevin Kennedy
Resident Farinda O’Steen Rejects USEPA/Beazer East Coverup: Shame on you EPA!
31 MayScott Miller, Remedial Project Manager Superfund Remedial Branch USEPA Region 4 Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street Atlanta, GA 30303 May 30, 2013 Dear Mr. Miller, As I told you in person when you came to my door earlier this month, you do not have my permission to enter my property; neither does Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., Tetra Tech, Mactec (AMEC), Kestrel Ecological Services, or anyone working for Beazer East, Inc./Koppers, Inc., US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP for soil sampling or any activity that’s part of the shameful “off-site soil remedial action”. As you already very well know, on my property I have already replaced up to four feet of toxic soil with clean soil several times trying to protect my family- and my soil continues to test extremely high in dioxin, arsenic, PAHs and other Koppers chemicals. My house is still making me and my family sick, and your six inches to one foot of clean soil won’t do me or anybody else any good. Stay off of my property. I am not taking part in EPA’s and Beazer East’s so-called “off-site soil remediation”. Mr. Roy Geiersbach and other neighbors have had twenty to forty feet of toxic soil replaced with clean soils and two years later, the new soil tested was every bit as contaminated as the old soils, even worse. EPA and Beazer East know this, and know that your soil cover-up won’t help any of us residents. Koppers contamination has taken my surviving family members’ health and peace of mind away forever. We have suffered too much for too long to suffer this outrageous sham too, and will not take part in any of the soil scraping and cover-up that you are trying to force on us innocent residents when you should be giving us permanent relocation out of homes that are killing us. Your “remediation” doesn’t do a thing to move our families out of our dangerous homes. Shame on you, EPA! Tell your contractors: NO employee of Beazer East, Inc./Koppers Inc., Mactec (AMEC), Tetra Tech, Kestrel Ecological Services, US EPA, FL DOH or FL DEP may trespass on my property at any time. This also applies to any employees of Alachua County or the City of Gainesville trespassing my property at any time for any activities connected to the “off-site soil remediation” in Stephen Foster Neighborhood. My surviving family members and I don’t want to be entombed here- we want out of this toxic neighborhood! Farinda O’Steen
Spread the Word, Come on Out and Raise your Voice: Koppers Consent Decree Added to March 7th City Commission Meeting Agenda
6 MarResidents have been notified that the City of Gainesville is adding EPA’s Proposed Consent Decree/”Cleanup Plan” for Koppers to the agenda for tomorrow evening’s Commission meeting (Thursday, March 7th). The modified agenda with this addition will be posted on the city website this afternoon. This meeting presents a new chance to urge city commissioners to reject US EPA’s coverup plan that is non-protective of our drinking water and our families!
No Arsenic- No Dioxin- No PAHs!
Dig it up- Clean it up- and Take it away!!!
Our children need a Real Cleanup- not a Coverup!!!
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4
Mar
A Koppers Superfund class action meeting is in the works for March 2013. Watch for details for the rescheduled meeting on this website; they will be posted here as more information becomes available.
Unpublished Response to Inaccuracies in 02/06/13 Alligator Article
4 MarBecause the Koppers article printed in the Florida Independent Alligator on 02/06/13 contained several inaccurate statements, Sandra Watts Kennedy submitted a letter addressing these inaccuracies to the Alligator on 02/18/13. As of 03/04/13, the Alligator has not printed her letter, so koppersgainesville is posting it here:
Hundreds of afflicted residents are taking Koppers and Beazer East to court with scientific proof that levels of arsenic, dioxins and PAHs inside our homes are drastically higher than ACEPD and GRU staff asserted at Santa Fe College’s recent panel discussion on the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site.
Dr. Mousa’s memory is creative concerning local government involvement in closing Koppers. He should review videos from numerous commission meetings showing citizens testifying to illnesses and deaths from Koppers toxic exposure and begging our elected officials to close down the site. It was only after residents produced documents proving that the City and GRU were among Koppers best customers and therefore abetting Koppers’ ongoing contamination, that we convinced the City to stop doing business with the polluter. Public outcry ultimately closed the plant.
If water contamination is the primary concern, why does our local government support EPA’s “cleanup plan” that contains no remedial action to stop the downward migration of contamination into the aquifer and continues to compromise our drinking water?
Stephen Foster Elementary School is not “several miles north” of the toxic site: it is only 1/3 mile away from the Site, and yes, our children there are at risk.
Regarding the related art show, families of Koppers victims are offended by the lavishing of grants for greenwashing projects when there is so much pain and suffering in our community. A better use of these funds would be to move the most severely afflicted residents out of harm’s way.
Rally for a Real Cleanup of Koppers Superfund Contamination 02/27/13!
19 FebDemand a real cleanup to save the Floridan Aquifer, our drinking water!
Help end long-term toxic exposure in Gainesville!
US EPA will hold a public meeting to accept comments about the Consent Decree/Cleanup Plan for the Cabot/Koppers Superfund Site on Wednesday, February 27th from 6:00 to 8:00PM at the Stephen Foster Elementary School at 3800 NW 6th Street, Gainesville.
Your voice and your presence are needed!
The Rally for a Real Cleanup of Koppers Superfund Contamination!
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Wednesday, February 27th 5:00 to 6:00PM
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In front of Stephen Foster Elementary School at NW 6th St & 39th Ave
This is our last chance to let the EPA hear your voice before an inadequate cleanup plan receives federal approval. Our aquifer and city residents deserve a cleanup, not a coverup! Signs will be available, or create and bring your own- the more the merrier- come to the Rally and stay to participate in the Meeting!
Final Cleanup Plan?
After spending 30 years and millions of dollars on research while residents continued to suffer from toxic exposure and Koppers chemicals continued to migrate deeper into the Floridan Aquifer, why are government officials now expediting the same cleanup plan that their predecessors rejected for sheer inadequacy twenty years ago, a plan that benefits nobody except the polluters?
This coverup plan calls for excavation of 6 to 12 inches of contaminated offsite soil for permanent storage on the Koppers Site, creating a massive toxic waste dump, and places a park with deed restricted businesses and residences directly on top of Super Mount Dioxin. The scheme also features slurry walls that will not prevent downward migration of contamination into the aquifer and injections of heavy metal laden, unproven, ineffective Remox solution directly into the groundwater. Residents living in contaminated offsite properties will be left in their toxic homes and subjected to deed restrictions.
Show US EPA officials that the Koppers Coverup is unacceptable- “moving a little dirt around” will not protect our drinking water or our children!
No Arsenic- No Dioxin- No PAHs!
Dig it up- Clean it up- and Take it away!
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