I go back & forth on the possiblity of it being lies. If "they" are lying about it, wouldn't they want to splash it like fear porn all over the media? On the flip side if they're going to use the EPA to seize the land maybe they want it quiet & just local fear porn to be pushed so they can aquire the land through what appears to be legal efforts of clean up.
Just a couple of my thoughts on the area. What's there mineral or proximity to something they want 🤔