Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, has teamed up with Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) in requesting an investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) into the actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to significant asbestos contamination at the former W.R. Grace/Zonolite plant in Hamilton, New Jersey. 

    “It is significant that the head of the Committee with primary jurisdiction over investigations of practices and problems of federal agencies now also wants answers about what has gone on regarding the Hamilton Grace/Zonolite site. We expect a timely, thorough, and informative probe by the GAO,” Smith said.

    In their formal letter of request, Smith and Davis said, “it is critical to ensure that EPA is no longer hindered by problems identified in the past so that the agency can effectively clean up asbestos contaminated sites and properly inform and protect former workers and area residents. A thorough, accurate GAO investigation into EPA actions in Hamilton, NJ will not only benefit the Hamilton community, it will be a useful tool for other former W.R. Grace clean-up sites across the U.S.”

    The Smith/Davis request specifically asks the GAO to evaluate the plan of action established by the EPA to assess and mitigate the environmental dangers resulting from the plant’s operations, and the methods of informing former employees and residents of the risks they may face.

    The Smith/Davis request also calls for the GAO to look into what activities the EPA took after a 1985 internal report stated the possibility of asbestos exposure for workers and residents as people continued to work at W.R. Grace “for nine years with no apparent knowledge of concerns raised internally at EPA.”

    The Congressmen also ask the GAO to determine what the EPA has done to fix managerial, communication and prioritization problems which according to prior reports hindered the agency’s ability to properly address potential environmental and health hazards resulting from exposure to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore.

    “Among other things, it is imperative to determine why the W.R. Grace plant was allowed to operate as usual after a 1985 report detailed potential health risks from asbestos exposure stemming from the plant’s operation,” said Smith.

    Last year the EPA removed 9,000 tons of asbestos contaminated soil from the Hamilton W.R. Grace/Zonolite plant, now occupied by a document shredding company and plans to remove about 6,000 tons more this summer.