Cordray
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) - Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced on Thursday that he has reached an agreement with the owners of a refining plant that allegedly had hazardous waste materials coming from its location.
Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Cyprus Amax Minerals Company and Chemetall Foote Corp. are contractually connected to the original company that, in the late 1950s, built the chromium ore-refining plant and allegedly did not dispose of materials correctly.
Cordray's complaint addressed a 50-acre chromium waste pile that was at the site and other numerous disposal areas that allegedly posed a statutory nuisance. These issues, the complaint said, violated Ohio environmental law.
Under a preliminary injunction, the owners are required to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study to find the best solution for disposing of the waste. Cyprus Amax, which purchased the property in April 2010, will continue with security measures to prevent access to the facility and contact with other wastes.
Cyprus Amax also will pay the Ohio EPA nearly $293,000 for costs associated with the litigation. Additionally, the consent order requires the company to pay for any future remediation oversight costs incurred by the state.
The 333.5-acre plant is located in Cross Creek Township, Ohio.