Huntington Park : Group Vows to Fight Plan for Waste Plant Near School

Officials of the United Neighborhoods Organization on Wednesday said they are “prepared to fight” if Chem-Clear Inc. does not quickly abandon its plan to build a hazardous waste treatment plant near Huntington Park High School.

UNO leaders, speaking at a press conference on the steps of Huntington Park City Hall, set a Nov. 4 deadline for Chem-Clear to agree to withdraw. But Father Rody Gorman, pastor of St. Matthias Church in Huntington Park and a UNO leader, said the group has not decided what action to take if Chem-Clear does not comply.

Chem-Clear spokesman Xavier Hermosillo said Chem-Clear would not drop its plan to build the plant in an abandoned factory at Slauson and Boyle avenues, which is on Vernon’s southern border about a block away from Huntington Park High. But Hermosillo said the firm is looking for an alternate site in Vernon, farther away from the school.

UNO and local politicians contend that the plant could be dangerous in the event of a spill or other accident. Chem-Clear officials note that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the plant can operate safely.

Hermosillo said he did not know when the plant would be built because Chem-Clear must still receive permits from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is studying the proposal.