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Trust For Ex-GM Sites Readies Pollution Report

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - A trust established to clean up and sell about 90 orphan General Motors properties says it's planning to file a contamination report with the state of Michigan.

The entity known as The RACER Trust intends to submit its report this month to the Department of Environmental Quality, The Lansing State Journal reported.

The report comes in response to the discovery of contaminants, including heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, in water and soil samples taken at now-demolished plants in the Lansing area.

The trust says it intends to limit potential redevelopment of three sites to commercial or industrial uses. It also seeks to restrict new tenants from tapping into groundwater wells.

Formal cleanup could begin next year on the sites, which include the Lansing Car Assembly (also known as Fisher Body), Lansing Metal Center and Lansing Craft Centre. A response from the DEQ is anticipated by September.

Of the $500 million set aside to fund cleanup in the 14 states in which RACER Trust has property, $18 million is budgeted for the work in Lansing, according to Grant Trigger, the trust's cleanup manager in Michigan.

RACER stands for Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response. It was formed after the 2009 GM bankruptcy and holds entity of nearly 90 closed GM plants across the U.S.

Officials said Friday the trust had completed about 30 property transactions worth more than $25 million since it was established.

TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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