Unalaska, AK – The city is still pursuing the slow process of suing the federal government for PCB clean-up costs. Last year the city filed a civil suit against the military in an attempt to get $4 million dollars for cleaning up PCBs at the powerhouse site. The city argues that the PCB contamination was from electric transformers brought in by the military during World War II, and the federal government should pay the clean up costs. The military disagrees.

The civil suit process is slow. City attorney Brooks Chandler said both sides are currently collecting information about the situation and doing historical research. The city is especially interested in anyone who recalls any clean-up efforts from 1978 to the mid 1980s.

"The PCBs at this particular site are spread throughout the soil column at various depths and the military's position is, well, you don't have any one who saw anyone spill PCB's and we don't have any records of it. So if you go to other parts of the island and show that they have a history of accepting responsibility for what they left behind, it's relevant information," he explained.

Chandler said if evidence shows that the federal government took responsibility for clean-ups in the 1980s, then it supports that they should take responsibility now.

The federal government also said that the contamination could be the result of vandalism, which is not their responsibility. The city argues that the federal government should protect the area and the potentially dangerous federal property from vandalism that could endanger the surroundings.

The city has until the end of the year to collect information before the case goes to court on September 1, 2011. The case could be settled out of court.

The city spent $4 million dollars removing PCBs from the new powerhouse site in 2007.