(The Associated Press circulated the following article on January 5.)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific railroad said it will fight a federal order to finish cleaning up thousands of lead-contaminated properties in Omaha.
Union Pacific released its response letter to the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday. In it the railroad calls the EPA’s order unprecedented, grossly inequitable and illegal.
The EPA issued the order last month after negotiations stalled. The cost of finishing the entire cleanup is estimated at $50 million.
Railroad spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell said Union Pacific stands by its offer to pay for $15.2 million of the cleanup, but doesn’t think it should be held responsible for all of it. The soil was polluted by lead refineries that once operated in the area, including one located on land owned by the railroad until 1946.
EPA Superfund Branch Chief Gene Gunn said the agency is evaluating its options and hopes negotiations can continue. But Gunn said Union Pacific’s response is not much different from arguments put forward before.