U.S. Steel will have to ante up before Halton will help fund the Randle Reef cleanup.

The steelmaker has committed $7 million to the project, but the region says its $2-million contribution will depend on U.S. Steel chipping in a fairer share of the project costs — between $12 million and $14 million.

“They can do that in kind with steel, but the value has to be up there,” said Halton Region chair Gary Carr. “Everybody is still saying that the people responsible should be shouldering it.”

Members of regional council backed Halton’s condition-laden contribution by a vote of 20-1 last Wednesday. Additionally, the region’s pledge will depend on the federal and provincial governments covering at least two-thirds of the cost of the $105-million project and Halton receiving a proportionate share of the profits from a new shipping dock that’s to be built alongside U.S. Steel’s existing dock at Pier 16.

The region also says it will not be responsible for any cost overruns or liabilities during construction.

Though pleased with the region’s decision, Carr said it’s important all the players hold fast to their funding promises. He also acknowledged the potential impact the federal election and upcoming provincial election could have on the project.

“When you get this many governments together, sometimes things don’t happen as they should,” he said. “We’re going to be asking everyone to live up to their obligations.”

While council voted overwhelmingly in favour of the contribution, some councillors nonetheless argued that U.S. Steel should take greater responsibility for the cleanup costs.

Milton councillor Colin Best said taxpayers shouldn’t have to cover the costs associated with the cleanup, since they didn’t cause the contamination.

Best, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said the bulk of the funding should come from Stelco and U.S. Steel.

So far, Ottawa and Queen’s Park have each committed $35 million to the cleanup, while local partners have agreed to kick in another $28.3 million — $9 million from the Hamilton Port Authority, $8 million from the City of Hamilton, $7 million from U.S. Steel, $2.3 million from the City of Burlington and, now, $2 million from Halton Region.

One of the challenges, however, is that much of the local funding depends on the participation of other players. If U.S. Steel doesn’t increase its contribution, Halton has threatened to pull out of the project. Since funding from Hamilton and Burlington both hinge on Halton’s participation, the whole partnership is poised to potentially tumble like a set of dominoes.

U.S. Steel didn’t respond to The Spectator’s request for comment.

Randle Reef is a shallow section in Hamilton Harbour near U.S. Steel’s Hamilton Works. The area, heavily polluted with coal tar, is considered the second-most contaminated site in Canada, after the Sydney Tar Ponds in Nova Scotia.

The cleanup, which is essential to getting the site off the International Joint Commission’s list of Great Lakes toxic hot spots, involves building a containment structure around the most contaminated sediment. Then, less-contaminated mud from other areas of the harbour would be added and the mound would be capped to create a shipping dock attached to Pier 16.

via TheSpec – U.S. Steel must ante up for Randle Reef, Halton says.