EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller, front, talks to reporters and Bethel-area residents about the efforts to cleanup the J.H. Baxter wood treatment facility across the street. He was joined by, from left to right on the rear, EPA project lead Randy Nattis. Eugene City Councilor Matt Keating, DEQ Director Leah Feldon, Eugene City Councilor Randy Groves and Oregon State Sen. James Manning.
Brian Bull / KLCC
Cleaning up the legacy of J.H. Baxter’s wood treatment plant was the focus of a press conference held Tuesday morning.
Environmental officials, politicians, and community advocates gathered across the street from the plant, which shut down in 2022 after operating for nearly 80 years.
With the plant’s tank farm and open gates in the background, Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller talked to reporters after touring the site. Sixkiller told reporters than in 12 months, the huge chemical tanks will be gone. But much work remains, which is why it’s hoped the facility is approved for a Superfund designation.
“We heard today about discovering drums that are buried in the soil, so we know there’s a lot more that we need to learn about the site,” Sixkiller said. “Being on the Superfund list and having the available resources will help us get that job done.”
Randy Nattis of the EPA confirmed that there were two or three rusted tops for 55-gallon chemical drums found during cleanup that once contained paper treating chemicals such as creosote. He feels the soil nearby was “likely contaminated.”
Sixkiller and other officials assured Bethel-area residents that dioxin testing and cleanup of local soil is making the neighborhood safer.
Leah Feldon, Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said people whose homes got new soil replaced should feel more at ease about gardening and letting children play outside.
“This is one of the largest cleanups DEQ has undertaken,” said Feldon. “And as we gained a better understanding of the magnitude of the contamination, it became apparent that DEQ could not manage the full cleanup of this site alone. That is why EPA’s Superfund program is so important.”
In this Sept. 8, 2024 photo an EPA warning sign has been posted on the gates of the shuttered J.H. Baxter wood treatment plant. EPA officials are seeking to have the site put on the Superfund list, to fund cleanup.
Brian Bull / KLCC
But a few locals raised questions about timetables, and the extent of the dioxin testing. Seven residences had soil tested in the last year and a half, with some getting at least half a foot of soil trucked away due to dioxin levels. The work was done in June, though concerns continue to linger despite the assurances of officials. Feldon says the EPA will continue to test local water and soil, and working with agencies and governments including hers, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, and the city of Eugene.
Active Bethel Committee and Beyond Toxics were also mentioned as partners.
Oregon State Sen. James Manning said J.H. Baxter had “skated out the back door” but he pledged to hold the company accountable for ongoing environmental issues tied to its wood treatment operation.
“The people here in West Eugene can be rest assured that these issues will be taken care of as exponentially as possible, and as thorough as necessary,” added Manning.
Randy Groves, Eugene City Councilor for Ward 8 that contains the J.H. Baxter site, expressed appreciation for the agencies and advocacy groups who’ve helped address the issues surrounding the facility.
“What happened is terrible, and I think we all stay committed to resolving this, now and into the future.”
The president of J.H. Baxter, Georgia Baxter-Krause, has repeatedly declined comment on the environmental complaints and class-action lawsuits that surround the Eugene plant. But at today’s conference, Sixkiller said a couple Baxter employees have been cooperating with the EPA in sharing information on the plant’s layout and remaining on-site materials.