Five major energy companies are the majority of the private-sector firms signing a consent decree with California state officials Thursday to clean up a 38-acre toxic waste site in Huntington Beach, CA, that was abandoned nearly 20 years ago and has sat vacant. Gov. Gray Davis announced the agreement, calling it a “significant achievement.”

Atlantic Richfield (now absorbed in BP), Chevron Environmental Management Co., Conoco Inc. and Phillips Petroleum, Shell Oil, and Southern California Edison have agreed to help pay for the clean-up of the site, which is known to include arsenic and lead. The estimated cost and timetable are still to be worked out.

As part of the consent order, a clean-up plan for soil-waste and associated environmental impact report are being prepared. Other future activities include the development of a pilot study, remedial investigation of potential groundwater contamination and air monitoring to establish data on the site.

The Ascon Landfill was operated from 1938 through 1984, accepting waste from nearby oil drilling operations and construction activity where a major oil field once covered much of what is now an upscale, beach-front suburban community of more than 200,000 residents.

“For the first time, a group of companies with the financial resources to investigate and clean the Ascon property has been brought together,” Gov. Davis said. “With the state’s leadership, this agreement ensures the protection of public health and will enable the revitalization of a magnificent coastal property.”

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