EPA adds J.H. Baxter site in Oregon to Superfund National Priorities List
SEATTLE -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it added the J.H. Baxter site in Eugene, Oregon, to the Superfund National Priorities List. The decision was published in the Federal Register on July 3, 2025.
The NPL is the list of sites throughout the United States and its territories where historic releases of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants pose significant threats to human health and the environment.
The J.H. Baxter site includes a former wood treating facility which operated from 1943 - 2022. Decades of wood treatment operations resulted in releases of hazardous substances into the groundwater and soil, contaminating adjacent residential areas with dioxins.
EPA determined this contamination poses an unacceptable risk to people and the environment.
“This is a very important step in the extensive process required to clean up a site as contaminated as J.H. Baxter,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon. “EPA is committed to ensuring the area is safe and the community deserves nothing less.”
Currently, EPA’s Region 10 is conducting a Time Critical Removal Action at the site. The TRCA is considered an interim measure to prevent additional releases of hazardous substances but will not address all contamination.
The Superfund NPL listing will allow EPA to further evaluate the nature and extent of contamination, the risks posed by hazardous substances at the site and ensure a thorough cleanup. Superfund site work is expected to begin in early fall.
Public meeting
EPA will host a public meeting to share next steps and explain how the community can be involved throughout the Superfund process. Leadership from EPA and Oregon DEQ will be in attendance and provide opening remarks. The meeting will be July 16, from 6 - 8 p.m. at Cascade Middle School (1525 Echo Hollow Rd, Eugene, OR 97402).
Or, join virtually via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88951375782?pwd=9xmojlDCPTCAbQk621eLTaVMLta8bF.1
Meeting ID: 889 5137 5782
Passcode: EPAJHB
Background
The NPL includes sites with the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste releases and serves as EPA’s basis for prioritizing Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup. The NPL is updated periodically, as mandated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.
Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA may add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has taken all public comments into consideration.
Following the Sept. 5, 2024, proposed listing of the site, the agency opened a 60-day public comment period which closed Nov. 4, 2024. Comments received can be found at Regulations.gov docket number EPA-HQ-OLEM-2024-0377.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. Research has shown residential property values increase up to 24% within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Learn more about Superfund and the National Priorities List.
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the NPL and proposed sites, please visit: New Proposed and New Superfund National Priorities List Sites.