Overview
- The Unilateral Administrative Order, signed April 28, 2026, requires International Paper and McGinnes to dig up and remove dioxin‑laden material from the northern impoundments and the sand separation area, with fines up to $71,545 per day for violations.
- The EPA estimates the work will cost more than $262 million, and recent sampling indicates waste buried about 30 feet deep has expanded the removal volume to roughly 230,000 cubic yards.
- The companies said they received the 576‑page order and are reviewing it, and they have 10 days to respond under the mandate with potential liability for three times the cleanup cost if the EPA must take over.
- Community leaders and the EPA are pushing for about a two‑year schedule, while the companies have floated six to seven years, and required steps include building cofferdams, treating captured groundwater to state standards, and decontaminating equipment and crews.
- A Texas health report last year found higher rates of certain cancers along the river, residents hailed the order as overdue relief, the southern pit cleanup finished in 2024, and local officials say completing this work could also unlock I‑10 bridge reconstruction near the site.