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Addition of Oklahoma Site to Federal Superfund National Priorities List Finalized

Release Date: 7/22/1999
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) announced today that the addition of the former Hudson Refinery site in Cushing, Okla., to the federal Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL) has been finalized.

     "Cushing residents were evacuated last December when EPA moved 6,000 gallons of hydrofluoric acid into safe containers to prevent toxic leaks. By adding this property to the NPL, EPA can expedite the cleanup and remove this threat to the health and safety of surrounding families," EPA Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.

     "We are pleased that the removal of the chemical that was an immediate threat to the citizens of Cushing was successfully completed last winter," ODEQ Executive Director Mark Coleman said."With this listing on the NPL, we will be able to complete a definitive site assessment and determine how much the remaining cleanup will cost. This is extremely important in order to obtain the proper funding for the non-federal share of the cost."

     The property operated as a refinery and tank farm as early as the mid-1930s and was abandoned in 1982. Most of the tanks were removed. However, many of those left contain residual toxic materials. The tanks are deteriorating, posing the threat of leaking their toxic contents into surrounding soil and air. Rain runoff could spread the chemicals from the property into surrounding residential and commercial areas.

     More than three miles of piping as well as nearly 100 containers on the site may still contain hydrofluoric acid. Elevated levels of chromium, tetraethyl lead and asbestos also have been found on the site.

     The Federal Superfund program was created by Congress in 1980 to clean uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The site was proposed to be added to the NPL in April 1999. All of the comments received during the 60-day public comment period were in favor of the site being added to the NPL.

     Additional information about this site is available on EPA's regional web site at www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/6sf-ok.htm.