SEATTLE — Federal regulators will force the removal of toxic, highly corrosive chemicals from a defunct and leaking pulp mill along the Chehalis River, officials confirmed this week.
Either Richard Bassett, the U.K. businessman who owns Cosmo Specialty Fibers, must start removing vast quantities of these chemicals from the site this month or the Environmental Protection Agency will step in and take over.
The mill, which sits about 100 miles southwest of Seattle, has been leaking hazardous chemicals for years now, Bassett defiant in the face of fines and demands from environmental regulators. State and EPA officials have been building their case to force a cleanup for quite some time, all the while warning of a potentially “catastrophic release” at the site…