Gary – Today, State Senator David Vinzant (D-Gary) strongly reiterated his call for a far more robust closure plan for Summit, Inc, a junkyard and shredder facility that shreds and crushes junk vehicles for scrap. The site has been the subject of multiple penalties and investigations by local, state and federal agencies since 2004, and Summit has intentionally delayed efforts to comply with multiple judgments and continue their operations.

“Simply put, enough is enough – for decades, we have been given nothing but empty promises from the ownership of this site to clean up their operations and cease polluting our local communities,” said Senator David Vinzant. “The ownership has been given plenty of opportunities to responsibly operate their site, and over 30,000 residents live closely nearby and will deal with the negative impacts from this site. This is no longer the time for Summit to be given one more chance.”

Summit’s operations have resulted in multiple fires, explosions and the release of vehicle fluids into the soil and groundwater which appear to have migrated offsite and contaminated other properties. Summit has provided the EPA with a deficient closure plan only addressing a small portion of the site, and Senator Vinzant joins the EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to call for a stronger closure plan.

There will be a community meeting held on Wednesday, May 15th at the Gary Public Library, at 220 W. 5th Avenue at 5:30 pm allowing residents to voice their concerns with this modified closure plan, and Senator Vinzant calls for all concerned residents to attend this important meeting and make their voices heard in calling for a stronger closure plan.