U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 - 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Contact Information: Kellen Ashford, ashford.kellen@epa.gov, 816-610-2132

LENEXA, KAN. (AUG. 7, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has entered into an administrative settlement agreement for response actions undertaken at the HPI Chemicals Inc. site, in exchange for a covenant not to sue – by way of a prospective purchaser agreement (PPA) – with the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

HPI Products Inc. is an active Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) enforcement site, currently subject to a unilateral administrative order and consent decree. For the past year, an EPA Region 7 on-scene coordinator (OSC) has been conducting a cleanup of HPI Products Inc. facilities in St. Joseph. Cleanup activities have included product and waste characterization; bulking products and wastes for proper disposal; and arranging the disposal of improperly stored products and wastes at the site.

By entering into this agreement, EPA Region 7 and DOJ agree not to sue the City of St. Joseph. In exchange, the city will remove and dispose of identified polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-containing ballasts at a property, and then the property will be capped. Afterward, the city plans to use the capped property as a parking lot for a nearby fire station.

The PPA will be subject to a public comment period for 30 days, once EPA, DOJ, and the City of St. Joseph have signed it. The PPA will become effective on the day the city acquires the property after the public comment period ends.

Individuals interested in providing a public comment can do so online via the Federal Register.

Learn more about EPA Region 7’s removal actions at HPI Products Inc.

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