Officials update community on J.H. Baxter clean-up during press conference | News [Video]

EUGENE, Ore. – In a press conference, environmental officials provided updates on the clean-up process at the J.H Baxter site, the former wood-treatment facility that closed in 2022.

Members of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and other agencies partnering with them on the clean-up said progress has been made, but there is still lots of work to be done.

The conference was held in a Bethel-area neighborhood across the street from the site. The regional administrator for the EPA, Casey Sixkiller, said 6 million pounds of chemical waste was left behind when the treatment plant closed in 2022. But around 1 million pounds of that chemical waste has been removed since the beginning of summer 2024.

However, in the process of clean-up, crews are uncovering more …