On April 22, 2016, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that OXY USA Inc, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Company, has agreed to clean up contaminated water and sediments in the Ocoee River and one of its watersheds at the Copper Basin Mining District Superfund Site in Polk County, Tennessee. As part of the settlement, OXY USA Inc will spend approximately $40 million to maintain and operate a water treatment system, prevent access by the public to contaminated water and monitor contamination in the Ocoee River.
OXY USA Inc will reimburse EPA roughly $10.8 million for costs incurred in its past cleanup actions at the site and will also reimburse EPA and the state of Tennessee for costs incurred by those agencies in overseeing the work required by the settlement.
“This settlement formalizes the cooperation and commitments exhibited between the company and regulators over the past two decades,” said Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. “This major project follows a shared goal of compliance and achievement of long-term water quality performance in the Copper Basin that benefits our natural resources and the citizens of Tennessee.”
