CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has accepted a Voluntary Remediation Program application submitted by General Electric Company (GE) to address environmental conditions at the GE Charleston Service Center in Kanawha County.
The site is located at 306 MacCorkle Avenue in Charleston and includes approximately 1.3 acres. The site was purchased by GE in 1942 from Hart Electric Company. Hart Electric Company operated as an electric supply house and motor rewind shop. After the purchase, GE operated the facility as a repair facility for electrical apparatus and mechanical units until the facility closed in February 2014. The property is currently not in use and future use of the property has not been determined.
OER has negotiated a Voluntary Remediation Agreement (VRA) with the applicant. Under the VRA, the applicant will work with the WVDEP to identify human health and ecological risks associated with current and potential future uses of the site; establish applicable remediation standards; and ensure that standards are maintained at the site. Upon completion of the remediation, a final report will be submitted to OER for review and approval.
West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act encourages voluntary cleanups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, with an objective of counteracting the lack of development on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. By providing financial incentives to invest in brownfields, this approach protects communities and the environment while still promoting economic development in West Virginia.
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