Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environmental Cleanup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council gives soft approval to draft amendment allowing redirection of surplus Tronox trust funds; staff says West Chicago cleanup unchanged
Summary
Council gave a 'soft yes' to a draft Third Amendment to the Tronox/Kerr‑McGee settlement intended to allow surplus funds across national response trusts to be redirected to other critical areas. Trust administrators said the change will not affect West Chicago’s cleanup timeline or funds and staff will return with final documents.
City staff asked the council for a "soft yes" to a draft Third Amendment to the Tronox/Kerr‑McGee environmental settlement that would change how surplus funds are managed across national environmental response trusts.
Deepak Bhojwani, Trust Administrator for the West Chicago Environmental Response Trust, briefed the council and said the amendment would create a process to redirect excess surplus funds to areas of the nation with unmet critical needs but would not affect West Chicago’s remediation schedule, land‑transfer rights or currently allocated funds. "We have enough money to finish all the work," Bhojwani said, adding the trust expects to finish most on‑site work this year or next and then begin land transfer conversations with the city.
Staff emphasized this evening’s request was a preliminary, soft approval to allow the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York to finalize amendment language; the city will receive the final amendment and a resolution for formal council action before any binding approval is requested. The draft shared with council members was provided under AUSA permission and staff asked members not to disseminate the working document.
Council members asked questions and expressed support. The council signaled assent during the meeting and staff said the finalized amendment will be returned to council for a formal vote and resolution when ready.
