Why is EPA beginning a site investigation in 2024 when the Erie Coke facility existed for many decades in the past?

The Coke Facility was a permanent, operating facility from 1925 to 2019. The EPA Superfund Program does not investigate operating facilities. After the facility closed in 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) requested assistance from EPA's Removal Program to conduct assessment activities at the Erie Coke Site. Based on a site evaluation in July 2020, EPA determined that the site poses a threat to public health and the environment and that a removal action, or cleanup, is necessary. From September 2020 to November 2022, the EPA Removal Program addressed hazardous substances found in tanks, containers, and piping that posed the greatest threats to public health and the environment. EPA Removal actions did not investigate or manage potential contamination in surface water, soil, sediment, or subsurface groundwater at the site. As a result, PADEP continues to investigate the level and extent of contaminants in these media at the Erie Coke facility. The current EPA East Avenue Study Area is focused on the community and residential areas surrounding the former coke facility, but not including the facility itself.