EPA seeks DOJ approval on the ability to pay Settlement Agreement with four parties for response costs incurred by EPA at the Pittsburgh Metal & Equipment Site pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq. , specifically, pursuant to Section 122(h)(1), 42 U.S.C. §9622(h)(1).
Pittsburgh Metal & Equipment was a secondary lead smelter that operated at the foot of Aetna Street in Jersey City, New Jersey for several decades. Several companies conducted business with Pittsburgh Metal, sending metal materials, including those for which there was liability under CERCLA, during this time. Because the Site had become heavily contaminated with lead and other metals, from 1997 to 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed an extensive removal action at the Site.