April 29th, 2005

It has been revealed by state lawmakers that an inquiry is to be carried out in relation to the WR Grace Zonolite plant. The purpose of the inquiry is to see whether the issue relating to pollution was actually ignored, and whether the whole affair was simply managed badly. The hearings are due to commence in the first week of May, and these will address the issues of whether there was a cover-up operation at WR Grace to hide the dangers of pollution. The hearings will also focus on whether the state and federal officials failed to take the necessary action to pursue the matter.

An assembly member stated: "The only thing Hamilton residents know with certainty is that WR Grace made substantial profits at the old Zonolite facility and then skipped town leaving a legacy of asbestos contamination behind. No one has yet been able to get a clear picture of whether the company knowingly covered up the extent of that contamination to free themselves of responsibility for the cleanup."

Grace officials have stated that they are awaiting further information about the hearings. It is thought that the hearings will bring together officials from Grace, EPA officials, and even an environmental consulting firm once hired by WR Grace. The information from the hearings may then end up with the State Attorney General with the possibility of a criminal investigation.

US Rep. Chris Smith is also looking into the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in the clean up of the WR Grace plant, and he stated that: "There are problems here and we need to know exactly what happened."