Lennar and EPA at odds over asbestos safety at Hunters Point
Accusations continue to fly between the federal government and developer giant Lennar Corporation, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accusing Lennar of essentially misleading the public by releasing preliminary and inconclusive findings as fact, with Lennar supporters firing back that the EPA is deliberately undermining attempts at public outreach and asbestos educational efforts.
At the center of the controversy is an EPA Superfund site, the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, California. The site is laced with asbestos dust, and as a result must be demolished with efforts to minimize dust. Lennar was fined $515,000 in 2008 for failing to do just that. Now the worksite is carefully monitored for the presence of asbestos dust, and work is immediately stopped if airborne contamination is detected.
Recently, Lennar released an article claiming safety endorsements by the EPA, but the EPA says that the article’s claims are false, since the study has not yet concluded and its findings are not complete. Meanwhile, project supporters claim that the EPA is releasing information in public meetings that contradicts the preliminary study results, undermining community confidence.
For the full story, go to San Francisco Examiner.
