SEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (5201 G) July 2000 Superfund Redevelopment Hudson Oil Refining Company Cushing, OK Pilots EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) is a nationally coordinated effort to facilitate the return of Superfund sites to productive use by selecting response actions consistent with anticipated use. The SRI Pilots are intended to help local governments enhance their involvement in the Superfund decision-making process by assisting EPA in predicting future land uses for Superfund sites. Under the Pilot Program, EPA will provide up to $100,000 in financial assistance and/or services to local governments for specified activities. Applicants are offered several types of program assistance, including funding through a cooperative agreement, access to facilitation services, and/or the availability of personnel under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). BACKGROUND EPA selected the City of Cushing, Oklahoma, for a Superfund Redevelopment Pilot. Cushing is home to the Hudson Oil Refining Company Superfund site. Throughout the 1900s, majoroil companies drilled, stored, and refined oil products in and around the city. The refineries eventually went out of business, and in 1982, Cushing's last refinery, the Hudson Oil Refinery, filed for bankruptcy and closed. This decline in the local oil industry devastated the economy in Cushing and created a dangerous eyesore in the community. As the unused refinery deteriorated, asbestos insulation blew off towers, tanks leaked toxic chemicals, and vandals broke into laboratories and stole supplies. EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup in July 1999. The site is near a residential community which is primarily made up of minority groups. OBJECTIVES Cushing plans to use Pilot funds to form an advisory committee comprising citizens, and local, state, and federal officials, to create a plan for reusing the site. The city will also provide training for city officials and committee members on the Superfund process and environmental issues critical to the redevelopment of the site. Once a reuse plan is in place, the city will buy the property to ensure that the future use will continue to benefit the community. PILOT SNAPSHOT Hudson Oil Refining Company Oklahoma f Ity Applicant Name: Cushing, OK Site Name: Hudson Oil Refining Company Date of Selection: July 2000 Anticipated Award: Cooperative Agreement ($100,000) Profile: The community will form an advisory committee to reach consensus and to create a plan to reuse the site. Contacts: Barbara Greenfield Superfund Hotline: U.S. EPA Region 6 (800) 424-9346 or (214) 665-3111 (703) 412-9810 greenfield.barbara@epa.gov (DC Metro Area) reuse.info@epa.gov Visit the EPA Superfund Redevelopment Web site http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/pilot.htm ------- |