Lava Cap Mine / Elder-Newmont

This Referral requests that a civil action be filed pursuant to Section 107(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a), as amended, to recover past and future response costs incurred or to be incurred by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) in responding to the Lava Cap Mine Superfund Site (“Site”) located in Nevada County, California. EPA seeks this relief from: 1) Stephen P. Elder, as a current owner of the Site; 2) Elder Development, Inc. ( EDI ), Mr. Elder's private company, which also is a current owner of the Site; and 3) Sterling Centrecorp Inc. ( Sterling ), a Canadian corporation, as the successor to the Lava Cap Gold Mining Corporation, a former owner and operator of the Site.