WV State Officials "Concerned" That Freedom Industries Isn't Actually Cleaning Up Much Of Anything
Managers of bankrupt Freedom Industries continue to work toward getting their Elk River facility into a “voluntary” industrial remediation program, but Department of Environmental Protection officials want the company more focused on actually cleaning up contaminated soil at the site of the January chemical spill that polluted the drinking-water supply for hundreds of thousands of people. Scott Mandirola, director of the DEP Division of Water and Waste Management, said he has been concerned about the possibility that some cleanup work could be delayed while the company worked to establish its eligibility for the agency’s Voluntary Remediation Program.
“It appears that we should have been moving faster down the remediation pathway,” said Mandirola, whose staff has been overseeing the cleanup since the Jan. 9 spill of a mixture of Crude MCHM and other chemicals at Freedom’s tank facility. “I’m looking for a little more in terms of ‘when are you going to start digging?’”
Ed. - Well stated, r. Mandirola! 
Last week, Freedom submitted an updated plan to DEP to outline its proposal for more soil and groundwater testing that will help determine how much remediation work needs to be done. And today, Freedom hopes to begin cutting apart and tearing down the last of its chemical storage tanks.
But on Tuesday, the company faces a hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Pearson, who early this month issued a strongly worded order questioning whether Freedom was really committed to the cleanup. Pearson complained that Freedom was spending too much on lawyers and other professionals, wasn’t making adequate progress at the site, and had warned in bankruptcy court filings that it might “abandon” the Elk River facility if cleanup costs appeared to be coming in too high.
EDIT
http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140922/GZ01/140929958/1419
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