Furniture maker to pay $10M towards Superfund cleanup in Elkhart
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The U.S. Department of Justice says Iowa-based Flexsteel Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: FLXS) has agreed to a consent decree that requires it to pay $9.8 million for the cleanup of a Superfund site in Elkhart. The Justice Department says Flexsteel is liable for the cleanup because its former manufacturing plant on Lane Street contributed to the contamination.
The furniture maker closed the Elkhart plant in 2001, which made seats for the recreational vehicle industry.
The DOJ says Flexsteel is also required to reimburse the Environmental Protection Agency for a portion of its past costs incurred at the Lane Street site.
The Superfund site consists of approximately 65 acres of residential and light industrial properties in Elkhart. The EPA said the manufacturer was responsible for a groundwater plume contaminated primarily with solvents and degreasers such as trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene.
“This settlement ensures that the responsible party and not the taxpayers fund the cleanup of the Lane Street Groundwater Contamination Superfund Site,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The cleanup funded by this agreement protects the environment and the health of the surrounding community.”
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.