FMC Pocatello, Idaho
Welcome to FMC Pocatello, Idaho
From 1949 until 2001, FMC Corporation operated the world’s largest elemental phosphorus plant in Power County, ID, just outside Pocatello. Since the plant’s closure, FMC has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Idaho, and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to develop a proposed cleanup plan for the property that is environmentally protective and that ensures the health and safety of both workers and the general public.
EPA’s Approach Is Scientifically Sound
FMC’s priority is to make good on our commitment to clean up the property, to do it in a safe and responsible way, and to get it redeveloped for the benefit of the community.
For the past 20 years, research conducted by EPA scientists, engineers, and other experts has concluded that the capping and containment approach contained in EPA’s proposed plan is the most technologically sound. Not only is capping and containment a proven and effective approach for keeping contamination in place where it can’t harm people or the environment, it is actually the method used to clean 73 percent of all Superfund sites and 100 percent of similar phosphorus sites.
Removing elemental phosphorus in the quantity at the FMC site would be extremely dangerous to workers and to the community, and, in fact, there is no known proven technology for excavating this quantity of elemental phosphorus. In 2006, at an elemental phosphorus site in Florida, the EPA initially directed a treatment approach that included the treatment of buried phosphorus wastes; however, the EPA changed the remedy to cap and containment after soil borings during a pilot test led to a large phosphorus fire.
In addition to the capping and containment of contaminated soils to prevent leaching of contaminants to groundwater, EPA’s plan will also require extraction and treatment of contaminated groundwater at the plant boundary, to complement the groundwater extraction system at the adjacent Simplot plant.
There Is No Reason for Further Delay
The site has been studied and re-studied for more than two decades to evaluate the contamination and the best cleanup options. EPA has been mindful of its responsibilities to the greater community and to the Tribes, who have been extensively involved during the development of this plan. EPA scientists and engineers concluded that capping and containment would be the safest and most effective approach for keeping contamination in place where it can’t harm people or the environment.
When evaluating and studying a Superfund site, EPA must consider seven criteria to help determine the most effective and safest remediation approach. The cap and containment remedy selected for the Eastern Michaud Flats site scored equal to, or better than, potential treatment alternatives in all seven criteria.
FMC has committed approximately $60 million to clean up the site under the EPA-proposed plan, and the company is ready to get underway.
Redevelopment Is Needed Now
This site is uniquely situated to support good paying, industrial jobs (the site is zoned for heavy industrial use) and to immediately start contributing again to the local economies. The property offers excellent infrastructure including rail, electrical transmission, and access to interstate highways. Redevelopment can occur as the clean up progresses; in fact, portions of the property can already accommodate industrial and commercial use. The Power County Development Authority is actively marketing the property and is very optimistic about opportunities for the site.
FMC has a strong track record of successfully redeveloping sites in places such as California, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In Meadville, Pennsylvania, FMC operated an acetate film and fiber facility. At the time of shut down, FMC worked with local officials to design a cleanup plan that sustained the use of buildings, making 1.2 million square feet available for commercial and light industrial businesses. This created a total of 1,000 new jobs for 27 businesses that now operate at the former FMC site.
FMC is ready to get clean up and redevelopment of the Eastern Michaud Flats site underway.
About the FMC Pocatello, Idaho website
Through this website, you can learn more about the history of the plant, the steps taken to remediate the site, plans for redevelopment of the property, and jurisdictional issues. This website will regularly be monitored and updated as we make progress in our efforts to put this property back to work for Idaho.
As you maneuver through the website, you may want to acquaint yourself with the Glossary of Terms to help you understand some of the more technical details concerning the site.
We welcome your Comments and Questions, and ask that you please respect the integrity of the FMC Pocatello, Idaho website.
New Report from ISU
Economic Impact Analysis
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