January 25th, 2005

A deteriorating powerhouse in the city of LaPorte is to be cleaned up, and the majority if the clean up is to be funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The emergency clean up is to be carried out at Allis-Chalmers Powerhouse, and the Environmental Protection Agency will pay for seventy-five percent of the clean up. The city will then have to fund the remaining twenty-five percent.

The clean up will be in spring or summer, but officials state that it should have been carried out decades ago because of the health implication of asbestos pollution. The clean up will cost up to half a million dollars, and the clean up will include the removal of asbestos from pipes, boilers, and other equipment inside the building.

The building is actually owned by a Ms Verma, who lives in India. Despite endeavours by the Environmental Protection Agency, the owner has always refused to have any work carried out at the powerhouse. Several years ago, a smokestack that was attached to the building had to be demolished. The cost was put up by the city, and Ms Verma has never repaid the costs of this demolition.

The decision comes after the EPA sent out officials to check the site, and the dangers of airborne asbestos and other pollutants was highlighted. The Pine Lake shopping centre is near to the powerhouse, and there are concerns that polluted air could affect people there as well.