SARASOTA, FLA – U.S Rep. Vern Buchanan announced tonight that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has answered his call to assist with Piney Point.
“The EPA just called me to say they are mobilizing an on-scene coordinator who will leave Atlanta and be here tomorrow to assess the emerging crisis at Piney Point in Manatee County.”
Buchanan Calls on EPA to Assist with Piney Point
SARASOTA, FLA – U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan released the following statement regarding his call for the federal EPA to assist the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Manatee County with the imminent collapse of Piney Point.
“The federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) just assured me they are going to work to ‘get boots on the ground’ in Manatee County to help confront the contaminated water crisis at Piney Point,” said Buchanan. “I called the EPA to make sure all hands are on deck to deal with this emerging threat at the abandoned fertilizer plant. The EPA's regional water division director assured me: "I understand your concern, I understand the urgency, I am very concerned myself." We need all the assistance we can get now that state officials have warned a breach of the holding pond containing millions of gallons of contaminated water is imminent. This has become a full-blown emergency and we need to take every step possible to protect public health and reduce the impact on homes, businesses and the environment. I appreciate that Gov. DeSantis and Manatee County have declared a state of emergency, but we need the EPA's assistance as well. And when the time comes, I want to make sure the owner of the property, HRK Holdings, is held accountable for failing over the years to properly protect the public. We've known for years that the holding ponds of contaminated water were running out of capacity and threatening the region. But for now, we need to focus on the emergency at hand and contain the impact of more than 400 million gallons of contaminant flowing into the region. The EPA's financial and technical assistance could be invaluable in ensuring the containment and disposal of the contaminated water.”
