Judge orders EPA to preserve records related to Omaha lead cleanup, assigns expert to verify

Judge orders EPA not to destroy records UP wants

OMAHA, Neb. — A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to stop destroying records Union Pacific requested about lead contamination in Omaha, and she’s appointed an expert to make sure the agency complies.

The judge’s order Thursday also resolved several issues the railroad and EPA couldn’t agree on when discussing the rules to protect records.

U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp picked the records expert EPA lawyers recommended, but she established a broad scope for the expert’s work, like the railroad requested.

The information Union Pacific seeks relates to 5,600 lead-contaminated properties in Omaha. The EPA and Union Pacific have been trying for years to settle who should pay more than $200 million to clean up the lead.

Online:

EPA Superfund: www.epa.gov/superfund

Union Pacific Corp. lead cleanup site: www.uprr.com/newsinfo/media_kit/epa