By T. Weber, KWMU
Granite City, Illinois – Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says election victories by Republicans do not bode well for a toxic waste site in Granite City.
The site where the Jennison-Wright company used to treat railroad ties has been on the federal Superfund list since 1996. That means its in line to get money polluters used to pay to help clean up the sites.
But those polluters haven't paid the tax since 1995 and Superfund money is running out. Durbin says he hopes the Environmental Protection Agency will fund the cleanup next year even though he says the agency doesn't consider it an immediate threat to humans.
Congress left Washington this month without passing a budget, meaning agencies like the EPA are working with temporary funding and do not have a set budget for next year.