3M To Pay $15.5 Million To Clean Up Superfund Site

Compiled ByJill Jusko Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. will pay $15.5 million for government clean-up work of hazardous substances at a former dump site and for injuries to natural resources in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in northern Ohio. According to the Justice Department and the National Park Service, 3M will pay $14.7 million to reimburse the U.S. for costs incurred by the Interior Department for clean-up efforts at the Krejci Dump Site, and $800,000 is targeted for injuries to natural resources. The 47-acre former dump and salvage yard is being readied for integration into the rest of the park. 3M and other defendants originally were sued in 1997 under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (also known as the Superfund law) by the Justice Department. 3M and its corporate predecessor were charged with arranging for the daily disposal of wastes from a printing operation in Cleveland at the Krejci dump during the 1950s and 1960s. All defendants other than 3M reached agreements with the U.S. by June 2000, the Justice Department says. The settlement was lodged Feb. 7 in the U.S. District Court in Akron, Ohio. The decree is subject to public comment for 30 days before being presented to court for approval. 3M has its corporate headquarters in St. Paul, Minn.