With the Virgin Islands-friendly Clinton administration on its way out, the Bush administration is setting the groundwork for a new regime in the Interior Department, and the impact of that on the territory is unclear.
V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen and other territorial delegates met with the Bush-Cheney transition leader for Interior, Thomas Sansonetti, via conference call Friday morning. Among the topics discussed was keeping the White House Interagency Group on Insular Affairs intact, Christensen said.
In 1999, Clinton acknowledged that the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa have unequal representation in the federal process compared to states, so he created the IGIA.
The IGIA has the responsibility for the coordination, formation and interpretation of federal policies affecting the territories, with direct input from the insular areas. Whether that effort will continue under Bush is unknown, Christensen said.
Along with the IGIA issue, Christensen said that assistance with economic development is key if the Virgin Islands is to dig itself out of its economic hole.
"It was really a substantive meeting about how to structure the administration in regard to the territories," Christensen said, adding that Sansonetti suggested that the incoming administration elevate the governance of territorial affairs to the level of an assistant secretary.
Christensen said Sansonetti promised to try to arrange a meeting as soon as possible with Vice President-elect Dick Cheney and Bush’s Interior secretary nominee, Gale Norton.
Norton, however, faces a tough nomination process in Congress as the person who would oversee more than 500 million acres of federal land, including the National Park Service, protecting endangered species and managing the insular areas.
Norton was a political appointee in the Reagan administration at the Agriculture Department, then as associate solicitor at Interior where she was a protege of Reagan’s controversial Interior secretary, James Watt. Norton’s last public sector position was as the attorney general of Colorado from 1991 to 1999.
Most environmentalists blanch at the idea of Norton, 46, taking the helm of Interior. For one, she supports Bush’s position of opening part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling. In 1998 she formed the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, which is supported by mining and chemical manufacturing interests. She also worked as an attorney for the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation, which Watt founded. The foundation has fought several of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt’s land management policies over the past eight years.
Norton has recently been criticized for comments she made in 1996 saying the South lost too much in the Civil War. Supporters, however, contend she was speaking in the context of states' rights, which jibes with the Republican view on land-use issues, particularly resource extraction on public lands, a stand being made on the local level.
Democrat Christensen said her impression is that Norton has strong support from Cheney. But because of the territory’s relationship with Interior, Christensen was wary of blasting the nominee.
"It’s always very difficult as a territory to decide how strongly to begin fighting against somebody. It’s going to be a tough fight," Christensen said. "This and the (attorney general nominee John) Ashcroft nomination are the toughies. They’re not going to give it up easily. If it’s not Norton, it’s going to be someone similar."
Joel Tutein, superintendent of the National Park Service units on St. Croix, which are under the umbrella of Interior, said that outgoing Secretary Babbitt was very involved with the Virgin Islands parks. Babbitt visited the territory three times, which Tutein said ultimately translated into more recognition and funding. As far as Norton goes, Tutein said he will take a wait-and-see attitude.
"Babbitt made us feel very much part of the larger national park system," he said. "We’d like to see a continuance of that inclusion."
St. Croix, however, does have a connection with Republican presidential administrations. In 1992, former President George Bush, the president-elect’s father, signed legislation that created the Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Reserve.
"I believe there will be a connection with the park unit down here because the father brought in the park and the son will now have an opportunity to expand on it," Tutein said.

A potential speedbump for tire dealers and the general public has been smoothed out, and will bring the territory's first tire shredder to St. Thomas in the next 60 days. The shredder will also accommodate St. John.
After Wayne Callwood, acting commissioner of Public Works, announced late last year that whole tires could no longer be taken to the Bovoni Landfill, Enrique Rodriguez got busy. Rodriguez, general manager of Rodriguez Auto Parts, got together with his counterparts, and formed the Virgin Island Tire Dealers Association to deal with mutual problems. Rodriguez is chairman of the association.
In conjunction with Callwood, Sonia Nelthropp, PWD solid waste manager, and Bovoni landfill contractor Lester Ashby, owner of A-9 Trucking, the association has developed a temporary tire disposal plan for St. Thomas and St. John. They are also working on a similar plan for St. Croix.
The tire shredder is a substantial investment, costing between $180,000 and $400,000. Ashby has purchased the shredder, which will operate at a site near the landfill, not yet designated. The machine will reduce the volume of tire waste by about 90 percent. "You could almost hold the remains of a regular size tire in your two hands," Rodriguez said.
Shipping the tires off-island, Rodriguez said, wasn't really an option. "It would double the cost of tires," he said. The association has worked out a modest fee schedule for disposal of tires.
"So far," he said, "50 to 60 percent of my clients have declined to pay the fee." This poses problems. They cannot, by law, be left in dumpsters, or on the side of the road. The fine for littering is $1,000, he added.
Rodriguez said the shredder has a multitude of advantages. "No more mosquito havens – they love to breed in old tires," he said, "and the shredded tires are less of a fire hazard." The shredded material can be used for asphalt on roads and private driveways. It can't, however, be used on federally funded roads, Rodriguez said, though he isn't entirely clear what the reasoning is behind that.
Nelthropp approves the project. "The reality of it is that we have to get rid of this stuff, and we can't send it to Puerto Rico. They don't want our waste; they have enough trouble with their own stuff." Nelthropp and Rodriguez are working on getting legislation in place to make a mandatory
fee for tire shredding and or establish a law making it possible for dealers to incorporate the fee in new tire costs. This way, Rodriguez said, when road clean-ups are done the tires can be taken directly to the shredder as the shredding charge would already have been paid.
Nelthropp said she looks forward to the day when a solid waste facility at the landfill will do everything, with "cells" with vents to hold shredded tires as well as all other waste. Nelthropp said the Maguire Group is designing a plan now for a landfill design, and she is looking for a firm to conduct negotiations with a long term contractor for the fill project.
Rodriguez said the public can drop off tires between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Ashby at the landfill. Fees for the tires are:
– 15 inch rim $2.25
– 16-18 inch rim 4.00
– 18-24.5 inch rim 11.00
– over 24.5 inch rim 30.00.
Rodriguez was firm in his gratitude for Callwood, Nelthropp and Ashby's aid, "They made it happen," he said.
How about the taxi drivers? Rodriguez said at least 50 percent of the taxis have refused to pay the fee, objecting to the $4 cost (over the $2.25). "Their tires are that size," Rodriguez said. "I have no idea what they are doing with them."
On St. John, owners of E & C Service Station and O'Connor's Texaco Station, said the cost will be somewhat higher on St. John because of St. John the cost of shipping the tires to St. Thomas.
Rodriguez said the association is committed to environmental concerns. They are studying other uses for the tires shredder, such as the disposal of solid wastes, and recycling of the shredded tire material.

Jan. 12, 2001 – A potential speed bump for tire dealers and the general public has been smoothed out and will bring the territory's first tire shredder to St. Thomas in the next 60 days.
After Wayne Callwood, acting commissioner of Public Works, announced late last year that whole tires could no longer be taken to the Bovoni Landfill, Enrique Rodriguez got busy. Rodriguez, general manager of Rodriguez Auto Parts, got together with his counterparts, and formed the Virgin Island Tire Dealers Association to deal with mutual problems. Rodriguez is chairman of the association.
In conjunction with Callwood, Public Works Solid Waste Manager Sonia Nelthropp and Bovoni landfill contractor Lester Ashby, owner of A-9 Trucking, the association has developed a temporary tire disposal plan for St. Thomas and St. John. They are also working on a similar plan for St. Croix.
The tire shredder is a substantial investment, costing between $180,000 and $400,000. Ashby has purchased the shredder, which will operate at a site near the landfill, not yet designated. The machine will reduce the volume of tire waste by about 90 percent. "You could almost hold the remains of a regular size tire in your two hands," Rodriguez said.
Shipping the tires off-island, Rodriguez said, wasn't really an option. "It would double the cost of tires," he said. The association has worked out a modest fee schedule for disposal of tires.
"So far," he said, "50 to 60 percent of my clients have declined to pay the fee." Tires cannot, by law, be left in dumpsters, or on the side of the road. The fine for littering is $1,000, he added.
Rodriguez said the shredder has a multitude of advantages. "No more mosquito havens—they love to breed in old tires," he said. "And the shredded tires are less of a fire hazard." The shredded material can be used for asphalt on roads and private driveways. It can't, however, be used on federally funded roads, Rodriguez said, though he isn't entirely clear what the reasoning is behind that.
Nelthropp approves the project. "The reality of it is that we have to get rid of this stuff, and we can't send it to Puerto Rico. They don't want our waste; they have enough trouble with their own stuff." Nelthropp and Rodriguez are working on getting legislation in place to institute a mandatory fee for tire shredding and or establish a law making it possible for dealers to incorporate the fee in new tire costs. This way, Rodriguez said, when road cleanups are done the tires can be taken directly to the shredder as the shredding charge would already have been paid.
Nelthropp said she looks forward to the day when a solid waste facility at the landfill will do everything, with "cells" with vents to hold shredded tires as well as all other waste. Nelthropp said the Maguire Group is designing a plan now for a landfill design, and she is looking for a firm to conduct negotiations with a long term contractor for the fill project.
Rodriguez said the public can drop off tires between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday to Ashby at the landfill. Fees for the tires are:
– 15 inch rim, $2.25;
– 16-18 inch rim, $4;
– 18-24.5 inch rim, $11;
– over 24.5 inch rim $30.
Rodriguez was firm in his gratitude for Callwood, Nelthropp and Ashby's aid. "They made it happen," he said.
How about the taxi drivers? Rodriguez said at least 50 percent of the taxis have refused to pay the fee, objecting to the $4 cost (over the $2.25). "Their tires are that size," Rodriguez said. "I have no idea what they are doing with them."
On St. John, owners of E & C Service Station and O'Connor's Texaco Station, said the cost will be somewhat higher on St. John because of the cost of shipping the tires to St. Thomas.
Rodriguez said the association is committed to environmental concerns. They are studying other uses for the tires shredder, such as the disposal of solid wastes, and recycling of the shredded tire material.

Official National Weather Service statistics aren't in yet, but a survey of volunteer rain record-keepers shows that 2000 was one of the territory's driest in recent history, especially on St. John and St. Croix.
At Trunk Bay on St. John, where the recent annual average runs about 44 inches, Rafe Boulon collected just 32.4 inches in his home rain gauge for the past year.
"That's the second driest year since I've been keeping records" starting in 1983. His personal low is 27 inches in 1994.
At Annally on St. Croix, former Sen. Frits Lawaetz recorded 40.72 inches of rain in 2000, more than 20 inches less than the two previous years. In the past six years, only one was drier: 1997, when his gauge collected 39.32 inches of rain.
Some St. Thomas 2000 totals also were low. Ellerton Harmer, who has been keeping score at least since 1974, recorded 43.12 inches of rain in 2000 at Estate Bonne Esperance on the West End. The previous year's total was 54.53 inches, and 1998's total was 69.37. Like Boulon on St. John, Harmer reported an even lower count in 1994: just 30.39 inches. And like Lawaetz on St. Croix, his charts also show a dip in 1997 to 38.85 inches.
In one respect the lack of rainfall in 2000 was a good sign; no major storms came through to dump flood-producing torrents on the islands.
However, Boulon is worried about a trend in the past few months. October, November and December were exceptionally dry. He recorded 1.94 inches in December, well below the 3.26 inch average for that month. November was worse: 3.2 inches compared to an average of 7.3 inches, and October was similar, with 2.3 inches when the average is 4.7 inches.
The reports from St. Croix and St. Thomas tell the same story.
"We've had a lot of vegetation growth" in the last two years, due to relatively heavy rains, Boulon said. "I'm worried what will happen if we don't get rain by March" and all that vegetation becomes ready tinder for brush fires.
Lawaetz and Harmer also worry about long-term effects of low rain counts.
Lawaetz, whose family runs Annally Farms, believes that rainfall is slacking off in general. "I feel that the whole world is changing" climatologically, he said. He sees a shift in rainfall patterns as part of larger changes in the atmosphere.
Harmer, an amateur gardener and former bee-keeper, said he has noticed a difference especially in the past decade.
"Since (Hurricane) Hugo (in 1989) I don't think we're catching the rainfall," he said. "It's not enough to keep the watersheds filled up."
The lack of consistent rain has taken its toll on Harmer's garden. For instance, where he used to grow six varieties of avocado, "I'm down to two."
He thinks the theory that the hurricanes destroyed trees and other vegetation needed to attract rain clouds is a plausible one. "If you look at the Norfolk pines, they've been stripped," he said. Trees with branches that used to span out 10 or 12 feet, now are barely four feet wide.
More complete and official statistics will be available from the National Weather Service later this month, according to Eloy Colon, the hydrologist in the San Juan office, the region's headquarters. The NWS gathers its Virgin Islands data from volunteers at a dozen sites throughout the three main islands.

Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen fired off a letter Thursday to President Clinton asking him to reconsider the size of proposed national monuments for the territory.
Christensen wrote the letter following three hearings called to get public input on the impending national monument designations for submerged lands near St. Croix's Buck Island and around the V.I. National Park on St. John
Christensen said in a statement that she had already written to President Clinton in December to voice her concerns about the impact the designation would have on the livelihoods of traditional fishermen.
"I told the president that while I support the preservation of our coral reefs and other sensitive marine-ecosystem resources, I believe that the livelihoods of traditional fishermen should be protected," she said.
Local fishermen were vehement in their opposition to the national monument plan, which would affect nearly 50 square miles off St. John and St. Croix.
In her letter Thursday to the President, Christensen said the area in question is too large and asked him to scale back the proposals. There is also some question as to who owns the lands identified for the proposed monuments, the V.I. government or the Department of Interior.
"We would instead like to see the size of the monuments reduced, and that allowances be made to accommodate traditional uses such as fishing," she said.
The fishermen's small operations, she said, should have a minimal impact on the undersea environment compared to such problems as non-point source pollution.
Clinton has until Jan. 20 to either approve, modify or reject the Department of Interior's monument designation recommendations.

Myrna Todmann Richards of La Grange, Frederiksted, died Tuesday, Jan. 9. She was 68.
Funeral services will be held at noon Tuesday, Jan. 16 at St. Paul's Anglican Church, with a viewing begining at 11 a.m.
Interment will be at Frederiksted Cemetery.
She is survived by her husband, Arthur A. Richards; children, Arthur Anthony, Pamela, and Duane; grandchildren, Duane II and Quentin Richards; daughters-in-law, Gillian and Karen Richards; sisters, Marlene, Delita, and Myrl Hendricks, Claire Marshall, Lorraine Nanton, and Delores Clendinen; brothers, Warren, Walter, and Winston Todmann; sisters-in-law, Jeannette Iles, Leatrice Todmann, Elena, Bernice, Aurelia, and Hannah Richards, Alice Nielsen, Claudette Derrick, and Rita Grant; brothers-in-law, Russell, Donald, Claude L. and Claude R. Richards, Alphonso Marshall, Alphonso Derrick, Cletis Clendinen, and Olaf Hendricks; godfather, Otto Lattimer; special cousin, Gwendolyn Blake.
She is also survived by special friends, Eleanor Starr, Delores Avella, Claudette Lewis, Asta O'Bryan James, Ernestine Richards, Leona Wheatly, Susan Penn, Edna Roebuck, Rita and Leonard Lawrence, Veronica Ross, Myrtle Richards, Hyacinth Nesbitt, David and Mary Boyce, Karen Andrews, and Eddie Quetel; along with many other family members, god-children and friends.
Funeral arrangements are in the care of James Memorial Funeral Home.

The more than 60 fishermen, public officials and other residents at the Frenchtown Community Center spoke as one voice Thursday night: The U.S. Department of Interior's plan to designate thousands of undersea acres a national monument is a bad and possibly illegal move that threatens livelihoods and the very way of life in the Virgin Islands.
Or nearly one voice.
Sandra Romano, an assistant professor of marine biology at the University of the Virgin Islands, sought to leaven the otherwise negative tenor of the meeting by suggesting there may be benefits to the designation, which is intended to protect coral reefs. "In the long run, this is really protecting your resources for future generations," she said.
Romano pointed out that marine-protected areas provide nurseries for fish to develop from eggs to larvae to juveniles and have been shown to increase the catch in other nearby areas. She cited National Research Council studies that asserted that 20 percent of all marine habitats should be protected, "as a minimum, to protect fish stocks from crashing."
That, she said, is what has happened in some parts of the Northeast: "no fish, no jobs and nothing for future generations."
The hearing was the second called by V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen to get public input on the impending designations for submerged lands near St. Croix's Buck Island and around the V.I. National Park on St. John.
Christensen said in a statement that she had written to President Clinton in December "to again voice my concern about the impact the designation will have on the livelihoods of traditional fishermen.
"I told the president that while I support the preservation of our coral reefs and other sensitive marine-ecosystem resources, I believe that the livelihoods of traditional fishermen should be protected," she said.
The fishermen's small operations, she said, should have a minimal impact on the undersea environment compared to such problems as non-point source pollution.
Local fishermen were vehement in their opposition to the national monument plan, which would affect nearly 50 square miles off St. John and St. Croix. Calling it "unconscionable" and an "ill-advised if not illegal action," several questioned whether the undersea land in question actually belonged to the federal government, a precondition for the designation.
Christensen tried to solicit ideas for mitigating or modifying the plan. Resident Monica Lester spoke of how many fishermen felt betrayed by the proposed designation but suggested that the area be considered "a unique fishery that calls for special allowances" regarding fishing.
Earlier in the evening, Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole set the intransigent tone by calling the national monument plan "a serious intrusion that infringes on the rights of Virgin Islanders."
He said the federal government was "controlling the lives of residents of the Virgin Islands."

Several pastors and gospel artists are gathering in one place to reach one goal– keep Jubilation! Christian Channel TV56 on the air.
Jubilation!Christian Channel is hosting its second annual telethon from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15 live on Cable Channel 56.
The 19-hour "Faith in Action 2001 Telethon" features over 30 pastors, including the Rev. Oral Hazell of Global Life Church, the Rev. Edward Magras of Frenchtown Evangelistic Assembly, the Rev. Dr. Carlton Williams of Zion Assembly, H.Clifton Niles pastor of Christ Church Methodist, the Rev. Toi Smith of International Gospel Center of St. Thomas, the Rev. Alger B. Warren of Faith Christian Fellowship Alive in Christ Church, Grace Harrison minister of Mt. Zion New Testament Church, the Rev. Bentley Thomas of Bethel Baptist Church, the Rev. Robert Nelson of Bovoni Baptist Church, the Rev. Damas Eloi of Living Word Family Ministries, Flor Torres minister of St.Thomas Assembly of God, John and Josepte Hedrington ministers of Mt.Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. James Petty of New Vision Ministries of St. Thomas and more!
Some ministries will be sharing in Spanish.
Among the 15 gospel artists and performers who will appear are Jo Jo and Friends, Neomie Toussaint-Williams, Judy Turnbull, Louise Acevedo, Samuel Ryan, Llewelyn Frederick, Glenworth Pierre, Clarence Husband, and Ulric Ferrari.Co-hosted by Gloria Gumbs, the telethon will also include live call-in segments for testimonies on how the channel has ministered to viewers.
Please don't miss a second, because each second counts. JCC! TV56 must raise nearly $50,000 by January 20th to stay on the air. Partners will be urged to stand with the channel on a monthly basis. For more information, call JCC! TV56 at 776-7635.

Several pastors and gospel artists are gathering in one place to reach one goal– keep Jubilation! Christian Channel TV56 on the air.
Jubilation!Christian Channel is hosting its second annual telethon from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14 and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15 live on Cable Channel 56.
The 19-hour "Faith in Action 2001 Telethon" features over 30 pastors, including the Rev. Oral Hazell of Global Life Church, the Rev. Edward Magras of Frenchtown Evangelistic Assembly, the Rev. Dr. Carlton Williams of Zion Assembly, H.Clifton Niles pastor of Christ Church Methodist, the Rev. Toi Smith of International Gospel Center of St. Thomas, the Rev. Alger B. Warren of Faith Christian Fellowship Alive in Christ Church, Grace Harrison minister of Mt. Zion New Testament Church, the Rev. Bentley Thomas of Bethel Baptist Church, the Rev. Robert Nelson of Bovoni Baptist Church, the Rev. Damas Eloi of Living Word Family Ministries, Flor Torres minister of St.Thomas Assembly of God, John and Josepte Hedrington ministers of Mt.Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. James Petty of New Vision Ministries of St. Thomas and more!
Some ministries will be sharing in Spanish.
Among the 15 gospel artists and performers who will appear are Jo Jo and Friends, Neomie Toussaint-Williams, Judy Turnbull, Louise Acevedo, Samuel Ryan, Llewelyn Frederick, Glenworth Pierre, Clarence Husband, and Ulric Ferrari.Co-hosted by Gloria Gumbs, the telethon will also include live call-in segments for testimonies on how the channel has ministered to viewers.
Please don't miss a second, because each second counts. JCC! TV56 must raise nearly $50,000 by January 20th to stay on the air. Partners will be urged to stand with the channel on a monthly basis. For more information, call JCC! TV56 at 776-7635.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and seven past and present St. Croix companies will meet next week to hash out a plan on how to clean up a million-gallon plus underground oil plume at the St. Croix Alumina facility.
From 1978 to 1991, the EPA estimates that 900,000 to more than 2 million gallons of petroleum were released from storage tanks and underground piping at both St. Croix Alumina and the former Hess Oil of the Virgin Islands Corp. The oil seeped into the soil at both facilities and eventually reached the groundwater.
EPA officials say that much of the oil is now floating on top of the groundwater in the Kingshill Aquifer, although some of it has dissolved into the water itself. The groundwater in the area flows in the general direction of the Caribbean Sea. The EPA is concerned that the oil plume could reach the Caribbean if it is not cleaned up.
Over the 13-year period during which the release of oil occurred, several entities owned or operated the current St. Croix Alumina and HOVIC facilities. In 1998, HOVIC entered into a joint venture with Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., that country’s state-owned oil company, to form Hovensa.
Seven companies will now share the responsibility for cleaning up the St. Croix Alumina oil plume. They include the present and former operators of the aluminum plant: St. Croix Alumina, L.L.C., a subsidiary of ALCOA World Alumina, the current owner; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Virgin Islands Alumina Company; and Century Aluminum Company, and the past and present owners of the oil refinery, HOVIC and Hovensa, respectively.
The cleanup of another large oil plume underlying Hovensa has been ongoing since 1987 under a permit from EPA, and is separate from the proposed order to clean up the St. Croix Alumina plume. To date, approximately 34 million gallons of oil has been recovered as part of the Hovensa cleanup.
On Jan. 17, the public will have an opprotunity to attend a meeting to discuss the Administrative Order on Consent, which was negotiated between the EPA and the companies to organize a clean-up plan. Along with the cleanup, the proposed order would require the seven companies to develop plans to determine the extent of the dissolved petroleum and the risks it may pose.
EPA will review the plans and if it approves them, work will begin. According to the EPA, contaminated ground water is frequently cleaned by pumping it to the surface for treatment. After contaminants have been removed, the water is discharged back into the ground or a body of water.
Even then, some contamination remains in the aquifer, which can continue to contaminate the ground water. Contaminants that cannot be pumped to the surface with the water must be treated underground, making cleanup more difficult, expensive and time consuming.
"The technology exists to redress the existing concerns. This is not an uncommon correction measure," said Jim Casey, the EPA’s V.I. coordinator.
Casey noted that the area of the Kingshill Aquifer under St. Croix Alumina in not used for drinking water because of saltwater intrusion. Nonetheless, he said remediation efforts will return the water to near its original state.
Last May, Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett said the plume beneath St. Croix Alumina was discovered in 1994 and was caused by the company, its predecessors or HOVIC. He added that the plumes haven’t migrated beyond the boundaries of the refineries, which has reduced the threat to the water table
The seven companies will pay the expense of the cleanup, which would be conducted under EPA oversight. It is estimated that the effort will take four to five years to complete. EPA didn’t give an estimate for the cost of the cleanup.
Meanwhile, while St. Croix Alumina said in a release on Wednesday that it "has not contributed in any manner" to the plume in question, it will still participate in the cleanup.
In the same release, the company announced that it has completed cleaning up millions of gallons of fuel oil that leaked from a storage tank on its property in October 1999. Company officials said the spill was contained at all times and didn’t affect the environment.
"On Oct. 1, 2000, EPA issued a letter concluding that the oil release from this tank does not appear to have impacted subsurface soils, either directly beneath the tank or in the surrounding tank containment area," St. Croix Alumina officials said.
Meanwhile, next week’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Curriculum Center in Kingshill. The public may read the proposed Administrative Order on Consent before the meeting by visiting DPNR’s Division of Environmental Protection in Water Gut Homes or the EPA's office in the Federal Building on St. Thomas.
Written comments on the proposed order can also be submitted by mail, with a postmark no later than Jan. 31, 2001 or by fax to: Mr. Raymond Basso Chief, RCRA Programs Branch U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 290 Broadway, 22nd Floor New York, NY 10007-1866 phone (212) 637-4105 fax (212) 637-4437.
Once EPA has evaluated all of the comments received, it will make a final decision about whether to sign and finalize the proposed clean-up order.