Superfund ball starts rolling
The Clinton Administration and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., NJ) last week revealed their priorities for reauthorizing the Superfund law. They share an emphasis on preserving the [open quotes]polluter pays[close quotes] principle, cutting the high transaction costs relative to actual cleanup costs, and addressing the disparate impact of pollution on minority and low-income communities. [open quotes]I am not certain that we need legislative fixes, or what those fixes should be,[close quotes] says Environmental Protection Agency administrator Carol Browner. Nevertheless, she plans to form an advisory committee made up of Superfund stakeholders, including environmentalists and industry people, who will hold public hearings and present her with options for improving the program. Browner has formed an EPA work group, headed by new deputy administrator Robert Sussman, to recommend improvements EPA could make on its own. She also aims to improve EPA's Superfund databases to better assess the program's results, and she has [open quotes]asked EPA staff to expedite its assessment of the various proposed options for improving Superfund through legislation.[close quotes] She hopes to have those by late fall.
- OSTI ID:
- 6280550
- Journal Information:
- Chemical Week; (United States), Journal Name: Chemical Week; (United States) Vol. 152:19; ISSN CHWKA9; ISSN 0009-272X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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