EPA and State of New Jersey Propose Settlement with Stepan Company for Cleanup of Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site

EPA and State of New Jersey Propose Settlement with Stepan Company for Cleanup of Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site

October 12, 2023

NEW YORK - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed settlement with Stepan Company to address contaminated soil at the Maywood Chemical Company Superfund Site in Bergen County, New Jersey. Under the proposed agreement, Stepan Company, a potentially responsible party for the site, will be required to remove and dispose of contaminated soil from several non-residential properties that are part of the site, at an estimated cost of $8.6 million. EPA first noticed Stepan Company of its potential liability for site-related contamination in 1987 because Stepan Company owns site property, produces specialty chemicals on portions of the site, and is a successor to Maywood Chemical Company. In addition to agreeing to perform this work, Stepan recently completed the successful cleanup and restoration of several residential properties in the area.

"This settlement holds polluters like Stepan Company responsible for cleaning up the chemical contamination, which is work needed to address the risks posed to people's health and the environment," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "EPA is working with our state partners and to clean and restore Superfund sites in New Jersey and across the country."

Stepan Company has agreed to carry out EPA's chosen cleanup plan for a part of the site known as Operable Unit 1 (OU1). This plan aims to address the soil contamination by various chemicals and waste, such as metals, VOCs and SVOCs, at several site properties. Under the plan, the company will:

• Remove and properly dispose of about 19,690 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
• Place site use restrictions to prevent future exposure to the remaining contamination.
• Pay $362,800 to EPA for past cleanup costs and reimbursing EPA for future oversight costs.

Stepan Company has already completed the cleanup work for several residential properties within OU1. Under EPA's supervision, the company removed and properly disposed of about 18,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from around the properties and restored the properties to their original condition.

The proposed consent decree also resolves payment for costs of initial response work incurred by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and provides for payment of NJDEP's future oversight costs.

The proposed consent decree, which has been lodged in the U. S. federal district court for the district of New Jersey, is subject to 60-day public comment periods once notice is published in the Federal Register and New Jersey Register. The Federal Register notice was published on October 6, 2023, and the New Jersey Register notice is forthcoming. At the close of the comment periods, the United States and NJDEP will evaluate the comments and decide whether to proceed and then, if appropriate, seek final approval by the court.

For more information, and to view the proposed consent decree and to give comments, please visit this page: https://www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees

Visit the Maywood Chemical Co. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.

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