MARINETTE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – For the first time, Johnson Controls, which owns Tyco Fire Products, has put a price on what it will cost to clean up the dangerous chemicals spread from firefighting foam it used at its training center in Marinette.
However, residents aren’t convinced that will cover the work that needs to be done.
“After conducting a comprehensive review of our environmental exposure related to our facilities in Marinette, Wisconsin, led by third-party environmental consultants, we recorded an environmental charged of $140 million,” said Brian Stief, executive vice president, and CFO for Johnson Controls.
According to the DNR, 16 private drinking wells tested positive for PFAS beyond the EPA’s safety level.
Known as the forever chemicals, PFAS contains compounds that can lead to serious health problems including some cancers, liver damage, and thyroid disease.
Doug Oitzinger, former mayor of Marinette, tells FOX 11 that might be a good first step.
“It’s an admission of responsibility, which is nice to hear, but whether the $140 million is going to cover what will be decades and decades and decades of remediation, that is unknown.”
A Johnson Controls spokesperson says the money covers past and future expenses, like installing a new water source system for affected residents in the Town of Peshtigo.
Last month, Johnson Controls said it hopes to receive DNR approval this fall for a long-term water solution for the Town of Peshtigo.
George Oliver, Johnson Controls’ chairman, and CEO told financial analysts last week that he believes the company will be able to fight off any civil litigation.
“The firefighting foam is made to extracting military standards. So, a majority of the foam at issue is specified and used by the U.S. government and military and therefore subject to the government contractors defense.”
“Meeting a standard and recklessly using it so it got into the groundwater are two different issues, so my reaction to that is that is nonsense,” said Oitzinger.
The DNR has said it referred a case against Johnson Controls to the Attorney General’s office for civil prosecution.
