Buick City's Big Cleanup

Cammy Corrigan
by Cammy Corrigan

We all want to leave a legacy to the world. Nelson Mandela tore down apartheid, Mohandas K Gandhi brought independence to India and William Wilberforce abolished slavery in the UK. When “New GM” was formed we were told that this company would be free from its legacies. Well, there’s one legacy it can’t shake.

Michigan Radio reports that GM’s plant in Flint, Michigan, has contaminated soil and ground water and environmental officials are currently investigating what the decommissioning clean up costs could be. “So this stretch of roadway is over a mile long of different factories, so the Buick City portion that we’re talking about is 200 acres,” said Keith Edwards of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce. 200 acres is approximately the size of 110 football pitches. Maybe Martha Stewart can help? The company that took over GM must pay for the clean-up; namely “New GM.” The taxpayer funded GM. It has already been estimated that the clean up for that one 200-acre parcel could cost between $1.4 to $3.7 million. The whole thing? Up to $19.9M. And you thought your tax dollars was going to regenerate a car company?

Cammy Corrigan
Cammy Corrigan

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  • Rnc Rnc on Sep 29, 2009
    It probably can qualify as one and then tax dollars via EPA will pay for it. Either way it will be on the taxpayers dime and yes, I believe it does need to be done. No - The costs are picked up by whoever had any use of that property, that's one of the reasons that new GM is keeping responsibility I imagine, if not whoever bought the pieces of the old GM would become responsible as well, and who would do that. In terms of costs, it's just an estimate of (and they always do a favorable estimate) expected costs over a 30 year period (all they are required to accrue at any given time) based on what they do know, not what they don't. Once they start putting in test wells and taking samples, I imagine that the costs will rise significantly and then every year they will accrue another year based on what they find in the current one.
  • Jacksonbart Jacksonbart on Sep 29, 2009

    Not to worry let me just open my wallet... Oh wait its empty.

  • Christy Garwood Christy Garwood on Sep 29, 2009

    IIRC, when old GM, now Motors Liquidation Co., was providing employees like me with links to public information regarding the BK proceedings back in June and early July 2009, public documents clearly stated that Motors Liquidation Co. had a few Billion with a Big B in the coffers set aside to clean up all the properties that were contanimated. Mikey, yes here in the USA GM normally does what it needs to do to clean soil and ground water before a site is redeveloped.

  • Rpol35 Rpol35 on Sep 29, 2009

    rnc "No – The costs are picked up by whoever had any use of that property, that’s one of the reasons that new GM is keeping responsibility I imagine, if not whoever bought the pieces of the old GM would become responsible as well, and who would do that." No, I disagree with your assessment. The following is from the EPA superfund site. If GM refuses or stalls then EPA cleans it up and tries to get the polluter to pay. If the new GM argues that it is responsibility of the old GM then either the Old GM or the taxpayer via EPA (the same entity in this case) is responsible. Why would the new GM pay for something that they didn't create or currently own? Buick City long predates the new GM. "One of EPA's top priorities is to get those responsible for the contamination (the PRPs) to clean up the site. If the PRP cannot be found, is not viable, or refuses to cooperate, EPA, the state, or tribe may cleanup the site using Superfund money. EPA may seek to recover the cost of clean up from those parties that do not cooperate."

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