$176.6M Approved For Testing, Cleanup Around Former Exide Plant In Vernon

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Thursday providing $176.6 million in funding for environmental testing and cleanup work in neighborhoods surrounding the now-shuttered Exide Technologies battery-recycling plant in Vernon.

"Children should be able to play in yards free from toxics," Brown said in a statement. "With this funding plan, we're doubling down on efforts to protect the community and hold Exide responsible."

The funding is earmarked for the testing of residential properties, schools, day care centers and parks within a 1.7-mile radius of the plant, and cleaning of as many as 2,500 properties with the highest lead levels.

There was no immediate word on when the effort would begin or how long it would take. The cleanup effort is subject to an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The Exide plant permanently closed in March 2015. When Exide agreed to close the lead-acid battery recycling plant, it committed to pay $50 million for cleanup of the site and surrounding neighborhoods. Of that amount, $26 million is meant to be set aside for residential cleanup.

As of last August, Exide, which filed for bankruptcy in 2013, had paid $9 million into a trust and another $5 million was due to be paid by March 2020, according to state officials.