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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE BATTLESHIP WISCONSIN
TRANFER.
The City of Norfolk
and the Navy are now in the final stages of the donation of the ex-USS Wisconsin. We
hope the following will be helpful in answering some of your questions and
concerns.
HOW FAR ALONG ARE WE IN THE PROCESS?
The ship transfer is dependent upon 3 separate contract agreements.
The first, the actual Donation Agreement between the Navy and the City, is in
final form. This is a basic donation contract is between the Navy and the
City which includes a long list of what we can and cannot do to the ship, who
we request permission of to make alterations, what the annual inspection is
all about, what happens if we default, etc. The other two are separate
agreement between the Navy and the EPA and the City of Norfolk and the EPA.
WHAT’S HOLDING THINGS
UP?
The major sticking points to getting the
ship donated are the two EPA contract/agreements which must be signed prior
to finalizing the donation contract. Because the ship may possess items and
materials which contain Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), cancer-related
chemical compounds outlawed in 1979, the Environmental Protection Agency must
1) approve the donation by the Navy and 2) approve the way the City handles
PCBs that may come to light in the future. The EPA is the only organization
which can grant exemptions to the Toxic Substances Control Act, which
otherwise prohibits the donation or the use of the ship as a memorial or
attraction.
PCBs exist in two forms:
•
In liquids used for lubrication or coolant
in hydraulic oils and in electrical equipment. The liquids are authorized for
use in existing older equipment and there are rules about how to deal with
spills and disposing of that old equipment.
•
In solids such as electrical cables, paint,
felt gaskets between sections of AC ducts, a million places. The solids are
out-and-out prohibited and are no longer manufactured. By law, without the
exemption, the City of Norfolk
might have to spend millions to remove all of these solids before ever
opening the ship.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN
NEXT?
To grant the exemptions, the EPA and the
Navy must 1), agree on an inventory of actual items of concern, and then 2)
the EPA and the City of Norfolk must agree on the processes by which the
City, through Nauticus, will handle the PCBs,
ensure proper environmental cleaning, and make appropriate reports to the
EPA. At this writing, both agreements, in draft form, are being reviewed by
the EPA. The EPA has also toured the Wisconsin
to determine the extent of potential PCB hazards.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE ASSOCIATION’S VISIT IN AUGUST?
If the donation is completed and the EPA
approves limited access to portions of the ship, Nauticus
will be very pleased to offer guided tours below decks.
WHEN WILL WE KNOW?
After we agree in principle on the language of the agreements, Nauticus will request the EPA, on an interim basis,
clarify limited access rules. These rules will apply only after donation, but
before we start turning on ship’s systems that affect PCB exposure,
particularly the ventilation system. There are no predictions, but we hope
EPA will allow this phased approach to ship access and will recognize that
some, if not many, of the areas of the ship are already safe from PCB
exposure. Then, we can tour below decks.
The City of Norfolk,
through Nauticus, is absolutely committed to
providing a safe environment to all visitors, staff and workers who will be
involved in the renovations below decks. There are no shortcuts to safety –
only the right way to do things! That’s what we promise and what the EPA and
the Navy expect
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