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RSR Consent Decree Approved

Release Date: 6/23/2000
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     U.S. District Court Judge Joe Kendall has approved a consent decree that paves the way for demolition of the former RSR smelter in West Dallas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

     The consent decree settles the government's claims against seven companies in connection with the RSR Corporation Superfund Site.  Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will demolish the former lead smelter and 300-foot stack located at the corner of Westmoreland Road and Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas.  EPA estimates cleanup costs will be about $11.5 million.

     "This is great news.  The long-overdue cleanup of this property can now be completed." EPA Regional Administrator Gregg A. Cooke said.

     The companies have already submitted draft plans for the demolition project to EPA for review.  EPA estimates that field work will begin in six to eight weeks.  The job should be finished within nine months.

     EPA and the settling companies plan to conduct extensive air monitoring during the project to address concerns in the community that dust from the project could present a health hazard to residents.  

     The settling companies plan provide residents of West Dallas have the opportunity to apply for jobs on the project.  In the past several years grants under the Superfund Job Training program and the Brownfields Job Training program have funded training in West Dallas to prepare participants for jobs on environmental cleanups.

     The seven companies participating in the settlement are Commercial Metals Company, Duggan Industries Inc., General Motors Corp., GNB Technologies Inc., Interstate Battery System of America Inc., Johnson Controls Battery Group Inc., and M. Lipsitz & Co. Inc.

     In the early 1990s, EPA conducted an extensive emergency cleanup in residential areas surrounding the smelter. Contaminated soils and fill material were removed from the yards of hundreds of homes. Under EPA supervision, the Dallas Housing Authority also conducted an emergency cleanup of the public housing area it operates across Singleton Boulevard from the former smelter.