Shutdown won’t slow down cleanup at old J.H. Baxter site in Eugene

Despite the federal government shutdown, clean-up operations continue at the shuttered J.H. Baxter wood treatment plant in Eugene.

The J.H. Baxter facility closed in 2022 , after nearly 80 years of operation. Its final years were marked by complaints of noxious odors, elevated dioxin levels in neighborhood yards and gardens , and numerous environmental probes and fines.

Since being shuttered, the plant has had its tank farm removed, and cleanup will continue until year’s end, says Alice Corcoran, an EPA Region 10 spokesperson.

“J.H. Baxter is funded with fiscal year 2025 funds and activities will continue,” she told KLCC. “And Baxter has been identified as a site by the agency to continue operations in the event of a shutdown. Both the time critical removal action and the Superfund