Florida U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is going to bat for a Fort Myers neighborhood with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Nelson has reportedly written to EPA chief Scott Pruitt, requesting that the agency investigate a contaminated Fory Myers city dump site at South Street and Henderson Avenue.
In the letter dated August 11th, Nelson told Pruitt, quote, "After nearly a decade, there is still toxic sludge in a residential neighborhood, and families have no idea when, if ever, it will be cleaned up."
Nelson is calling on the agency to investigate and ensure the site is remediated.
Potential EPA assistance could include grants for residents to hire independent consultants to do their own testing alongside the city’s, and medical monitoring for people with limited access to health care to check for effects from exposure to the site
Residents and other interested parties have until Tuesday to provide their input on the city’s site testing plan. After that, the city will publish the public’s comments and a final, DEP approved test plan incorporating them before testing begins.