WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to relocate 1,000 USDA Rural Development employees in St. Louis currently working in the Goodfellow Federal Complex, many of whom are Illinoisans living in the Metro East region, to office space at One Metropolitan Square. This move comes after years of calls from Federal employees and the American Federation of Government Employees about health concerns regarding toxic contamination in the building.
“No one should have to worry that their workplace is unsafe and making them sick,” Duckworth said. “The presence of toxic substances in the Goodfellow Federal Complex has put too many lives at risk for far too long, and I’m glad the USDA listened to the concerns Senator Durbin, my Senate colleagues and I, along with many others, have raised to address this problem.”
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“Today’s decision will help keep employees safe and healthy by removing them from this hazardous situation at the Goodfellow Federal Complex,” Durbin said. “I’m encouraged that USDA heeded the concerns of Senator Duckworth and my Senate colleagues.”
Last month, Duckworth and Durbin wrote to USDA, General Services Administration (GSA) and Social Security Administration (SSA) calling for USDA and SSA to relocate their offices and protect the health and safety of workers still in the building. In 2019, GSA recommended all agencies in the Goodfellow facility be relocated. In 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed 83 hazardous substances were present in the building.
The USDA Rural Development office will now be located at One Metropolitan Square, 211 N. Broadway, St. Louis, MO, and is expected to be complete by July 2021.
