March 31, 2005

Attorney General Mike Cox, on behalf of the Department of Environmental Quality, filed a complaint on March 31, in the Wexford County Circuit Court asking the court to order AAR Mobility Systems to comply with an Administrative Order issued under the state’s environmental cleanup law, Part 201, to reimburse the state response activity costs, and pay fines and penalties for their failure to comply with the Administrative Order and Part 201.

“All Michigan businesses need to operate in a manner that is protective of the health of our citizens and Michigan’s environment,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “Today’s action is intended to compel AAR to once and for all investigate and clean up contamination that poses a potential risk to the public and to the community.”

"Companies must comply with Michigan clean-up laws to ensure protection of public health and the environment,” Cox said. “We are committed to enforcing our environmental laws and recovering the costs incurred by the state of Michigan.”

The DEQ issued an Administrative Order in August 2003 directing AAR to take specific steps to investigate and clean up a release of trichloroethylene (TCE) into soil and groundwater that threatens nearby drinking water supplies. TCE was used as a vapor degreasing agent at AAR’s manufacturing operations in Cadillac, Michigan. AAR has failed to fully comply with the Administrative Order, prompting the state to request the Wexford County Circuit Court to order the company to do the necessary cleanup.

Failure to comply with the Administrative Order subjects AAR of up to $25,000 per day in fines and damages, and up to three times the state’s response activity costs associated with AAR’s failure to comply with the order. AAR has had historic non-compliance, and further declines to address another release of TCE that was identified by the DEQ in 1996.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised March 31, 2005 by Pat Watson