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EAST CHICAGO — Residents living in the contaminated USS Lead Superfund site are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reschedule a public hearing on cleanup proposals for the former West Calumet Housing Complex that the agency canceled due to the federal government shutdown.

East Chicago Calumet Coalition wants EPA to reschedule for the soonest date possible and extend the public comment period past the current deadline of Jan. 14. The canceled meeting had been set for Jan. 10.

"Although the federal government shutdown may prevent (EPA) from hosting the January 10 meeting, the need for the meeting has not changed," a Jan. 2 letter from the coalition to Doug Ballotti, acting director for the Superfund Division, reads.

Residents are being deprived of the opportunity to provide meaningful input in EPA's decision-making process, as several residents did not have a chance to comment at a meeting held in late November because of the event's two-hour time limit, robust participation and the complicated nature of the proposal, the group has argued.