Clearer EPA superfund program policies should improve cleanup efforts

Technical Report · Wed Feb 06 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5760138

Bowsher, C A

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responds to the release or threatened release of hazardous substances into the environment through its Superfund removal and remedial programs. This report focuses on the Superfund removal program at the nation's worst hazardous waste sites. EPA limits removal actions to preventing or mitigating immediate and significant risk to humans or the environment so that an inordinate share of the Superfund budget would not be used on less significant sites. This policy, however, inhibits EPA in the permanent, long-term cleanup of waste sites. It has resulted in the worst hazardous waste sites receiving only stopgap cleanups, leaving hazardous substances on the surface and requiring repeated stopgap actions at additional cost. EPA has proposed policy changes that would allow more thorough surface cleanup at sites. GAO agrees with this change but recommends that EPA include in its policy revision a requirement that removal actions eliminate surface hazardous substances to the extent possible to reduce recurring threats, avoid repeated actions, minimize Superfund expenditures, and contribute to the permanent remedy of hazardous waste sites.

• Research Organization: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Office of the Comptroller General
• OSTI ID: 5760138
• Report Number(s): GAO/RCED-85-54; ON: TI85901368
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
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293000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
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510600 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Regulations-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CONTROL
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
EVALUATION
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MITIGATION
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION LAWS
REMOVAL
SUPERFUND
US EPA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT