The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has ordered battery recycling company Exide Technologies to set aside $38.6 million to close its Vernon facility and clean up lead contamination in the surrounding community.
The enforcement order is an increase of more than $27.5 million over the previous amount.
In addition, the state says Exide must establish a trust fund of $9 million for the cleanup, pay $526,000 in penalties for recent hazardous waste violations, take immediate steps to correct those violations and reimburse $760,000 of DTSC’s costs related to its oversight of the facility.
Exide has been under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since June 2013. The Vernon facility has been shuttered since March. The EPA says the facility has violated the Clean Air Act’s lead emissions standards on more than 30 occasions.