FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         ENR
TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1997                       DOJ (202) 514-2008
                                               EPA (617) 565-9010
                                        USAO (203) 773-2108 X3022
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
            U.S. SUES RAYMARK INDUSTRIES FOR ESTIMATED
        $192 MILLION CLEANUP OF CONNECTICUT SUPERFUND SITE
     
       Government Alleges Company Attempted To Fraudulently
          Transfer Ownership of Assets To Avoid Liability


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States today sued Raymark
Industries for past and future cleanup costs at the Raymark
Industries Superfund Site in Stratford, Connecticut, estimated by
the Environmental Protection Agency to total over $192 million.

     From 1919 to 1989, Raymark manufactured friction products,
including brake linings and clutch facings, disposing of lead,
asbestos, PCBs and other hazardous substances at the Raymark
Facility and other locations in the town of Stratford.

     The State of Connecticut also filed suit today to recover
the estimated $20 million it expects to spend for its share of
the cleanup and maintenance costs.  

     The complaints, filed today in U.S. District Court in
Bridgeport, name Raymark Industries Inc. and R.E. Laukhuff, as
trustee for the Stratford Trust, as defendants.  In addition, the
33 acre Raymark Facility in Stratford, which is part of the
Superfund site, was named as a defendant in order to facilitate
the judicial sale of the Facility to recoup a portion of the
federal and state governments' cleanup costs.

     Raymark is liable for reimbursing EPA for the $81 million in
cleanup costs it has incurred to date, and all future cleanup
costs, which are estimated at $111 million.

     R.E. Laukhuff is named as a co-defendant because Raymark
attempted to transfer its ownership of the contaminated Facility
to Mr. Laukhuff as trustee for the Stratford Trust, a trust
Raymark says was established for the benefit of its pensioners. 
Raymark attempted to transfer ownership of the Facility to the
trustee immediately after EPA notified Raymark that a Superfund
lien would be placed on the property.  None of Raymark's
pensioners is named as a defendant or is potentially liable in
this action.  The United States' position, as set forth in the
complaint, is that the transfer is void as a fraudulent transfer
and Raymark is still liable for the Superfund cleanup costs as
the current owner of the contaminated property.  If the court
voids the transfer of the property, Mr. Laukhuff will no longer
be a defendant in the case.  

     "It's time for Raymark to step up to the plate and do the
right thing by taking responsibility for its actions," said Lois
Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice
Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division.  "It is
absolutely essential that those responsible for environmental
contamination pay their fair share of the cleanup costs."

     "EPA is committed to the Raymark cleanup and the future
redevelopment of the Facility.  We will continue to move forward
and to work closely with the Stratford community and the
developer," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's Regional Administrator. 
"I look forward to a bright future for this Site."

     Christopher F. Droney, United States Attorney for the
District of Connecticut noted the anticipated economic benefits
to be realized by the local community from the judicial sale of
the Raymark Facility and its commercial redevelopment.

     If the United States prevails on its claim to recover
against the Raymark Facility to satisfy EPA's Superfund lien on
the property, it will be sold at a judicial sale and proceeds
will be paid to the State of Connecticut and to the EPA Superfund
as a partial recovery of the cleanup costs at the Site.  Once the
cleanup is completed, the Raymark Facility can be redeveloped by
a new owner for commercial use.
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97-006