City says EPA results for BNSF railyard contain 'no surprises'
Lincoln Journal Star
April 22, 2010
By Deena Winter
On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler announced testing at a railyard west of the Haymarket shows the kind of contamination the city expected -- and can deal with -- to turn the area into an arena and private buildings.
Tests on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway property turned up nothing unexpected, the mayor said at a news conference Thursday.
"There were no surprises," he said.
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But city officials are pleased with the BNSF results, saying the contaminants detected are similar to what was found in previous testing by HWS Consulting Group Inc.
HWS has estimated the cost to clean up the 400-acre development area at $7.5 million at the most.
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Beutler said he spent much of his career in the Legislature fighting for environmental protection, and "I cannot and would not ... endanger people to enhance Lincoln's economic interests."
If voters approve the project, the city would participate in a state voluntary cleanup program officials say would protect the city from future federal or state environmental enforcement.
City officials say they could get up to $1.6 million in state and federal grants to help pay for the cleanup.
