KANSAS CITY, Kan. (June 19, 2008) — Auto parts supplier Dana Corp. has agreed pay $125.7 million to settle the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's claims for cleanup costs at six Superfund toxic waste sites across the U.S.
According to the EPA Region 7 office in Kansas City, Dana — which had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2006 and emerged in February 2008 — previously filed legal objections to paying the Superfund settlement, according to the EPA. The agency said its claims are now eligible for recovery under the Toledo, Ohio-based firm's reorganization plan.
The largest single EPA claim against Dana—nearly $24.3 million—is for the cleanup of a former auto parts manufacturing facility in Hastings, Neb., the agency said. Dana operated the Hastings plant from 1978 to 2002.
The rest of the money will go to reimburse the EPA for cleanups at Superfund sites in South Plainfield, N.J.; Southington, Conn.; Claypool, Ind.; Elkhart, Ind.; and Tremont City, Ohio.
The Dana-EPA settlement has been lodged in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and is open for public comment until mid-July. Dana officials could not be reached for comment.