LENEXA, KAN. (AUGUST 2, 2022) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has approved an amendment to a permit issued to Sunflower Redevelopment LLC and the U.S. Army at the former Sunflower Army Munitions Plant in DeSoto, Kansas. This permit amendment, made with the support of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), paves the way for the redevelopment of the property.
The former plant has operated under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Permit since 1991. Based on demonstration of cleanup activities by Sunflower Redevelopment LLC, the EPA approved the requested change, thereby removing certain areas of the property from permit requirements.
Corrective action clean-up activities will continue in areas still under permit. Groundwater throughout the property, including the withdrawn area, will be addressed as part of future work. In July, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced that the former Sunflower Army Munitions Plant would be the future site of Panasonic Energy Co.’s battery manufacturing plant.
“Years of hard work and collaboration between EPA Region 7, KDHE and licensees have gone into cleaning up the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant,” said Meg McCollister, Administrator of the EPA region 7. “This permit amendment recognizes the successes achieved and opens the door to the property’s reuse as the site of the largest economic development project in Kansas history.”
“The redevelopment of the Sunflower Army Ammunition Factory is a testament to the success that comes when government and the private sector work together in a cooperative manner,” said KDHE Assistant Secretary for Environment Leo Henning. “In conjunction with the EPA, the U.S. Army Environmental Program, and private companies, KDHE is pleased to participate in the redevelopment of the Sunflower Army Munitions Plant.”
EPA Region 7 will mail notice of this permit change to Kansas residents and businesses near the former Sunflower Army Munitions Plant.
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