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St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council: Thorough decontamination, sustainable redevelopment of former GM site are essential

Posted 2/27/14

AKWESASNE -- St. Regis Mohawk Tribal leaders believe a thorough decontamination of the former General Motors site should take precedence over aggressive marketing. They hope it can one day house a …

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St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council: Thorough decontamination, sustainable redevelopment of former GM site are essential

Posted

AKWESASNE -- St. Regis Mohawk Tribal leaders believe a thorough decontamination of the former General Motors site should take precedence over aggressive marketing. They hope it can one day house a safe and sustainable addition to the local economy.

Chief Ron LaFrance, a former resident of Raquette Point, which is downstream and downwind from the property says the Akwesasne community has suffered enough because of industrial pollution and he will accept nothing short of a total clean-up.

“I am concerned there is more of an emphasis on the redevelopment of the site than the actual clean-up,” he said. “Money should not be what drives the clean-up moving forward. The federal government bailed General Motors out. GM should be held responsible and accountable for a complete and total site de-contamination that meets or exceeds our environmental expectations.”

His comments come on the heels of February’s North Country Redevelopment Task Force meeting where its members mainly spoke of marketing and redevelopment. Two Akwesasne representatives sit on the task force. At January’s meeting, Anna Kelly of the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the site is 250 percent more contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) than originally believed.

“We hope that our participation on the North Country Redevelopment Task Force will result in a ... plan that considers both the economic needs of our communities and the health, environmental and social needs of the area,” the statement reads.

Tribal leaders say they support economic development, and want GM site repurposed for something sustainable and environmentally responsible.

“Sustainable economic development strives to balance necessary economic growth with social and environmental needs … it must not compromise resources or the environment for future generations,” the statement reads. “The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal community, along with surrounding communities, have experienced the devastation caused when economic growth is conducted without adequate consideration of potential human and environmental health effects.”

Chief Beverly Cook feels those who started the decontamination work should see it through to the end. It has far exceeded its original budget and the Revitalizing Auto Communities Economic Response (RACER) trust, which owns the site and oversees the operation, may soon need to dip into reserve funds.

“The worst case scenario would be for the site to be abandoned and have new people come back years later who are unfamiliar with the site,” Cook said. “Our short-term goal is to clean up the soil, our longer-term goal is to significantly reduce the effects of any airborne contamination hurting our families.”

RACER representative Patricia Spitzley announced at the February task force meeting that CSX, which services the former GM property’s on-site railroad, is interested in making the location a Select Site, which could generate a wider interest in the plot on both sides of the border. Tribal Council says this is good news.

“RACER has a responsibility to create a site that is marketable … this indicates CSX’s rail system is functioning at a certain standard, thereby making the site more attractive to potential buyers,” the statement reads.