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EPA to Hold Listening Session on Whether to Add Vapor Intrusion as a Criterion for Superfund Sites

Release Date: 03/29/2011
Contact Information: Mary Mears (212) 637-3673; [email protected]

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host its fourth public listening session on whether to include vapor intrusion threats as a criterion for considering hazardous waste sites for the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. The session will also include a discussion of EPA’s efforts to develop final technical guidance for handling vapor intrusion. Superfund is the EPA program to investigate and clean up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. Vapor intrusion is the movement of pollution in vapor form from contaminated groundwater or soil into air, which is of particular concern when the vapor seeps into homes. This type of contamination is not currently considered when ranking a site to see if it should be put on the list of Superfund sites.

EPA is soliciting public input on considering vapor intrusion in this ranking process. The Agency will consider information gathered during the comment period, as well as input from its public listening sessions, before making a decision on whether to issue a proposed rulemaking to add vapor intrusion as a criterion to the system to rank sites for the Superfund program.

EPA is also seeking input as it completes the development of the “Final Subsurface Vapor Intrusion Guidance.” EPA released its “Draft Guidance for Evaluating the Vapor Intrusion to Indoor Air Pathway from Groundwater and Soils” in 2002. EPA is incorporating new information that we have learned about vapor intrusion and plans to issue final guidance by November 30, 2012.

Details for the listening session are below. A list of participants must be provided to security at the Edison facility gate prior to the sessions, so participants MUST register for the session by 5:00pm Wednesday, April 6. Register at: www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/hrsaddition.htm

WHERE: U.S. EPA Region 2 Edison, New Jersey Environmental Center
Building 205
2890 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08837

WHEN: Thursday, April 7, 2011
EPA presentation: 6:00 to 6:20 p.m.
Public Comments: 6:20 to 9:00 p.m.

For more information on EPA listening sessions and the potential change to the HRS, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/hrsaddition.htm

For more information on vapor intrusion, please visit: www.epa.gov/oswer/vaporintrusion/

For more information on the Hazard Ranking System, please visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/npl_hrs/hrsint.htm

More about activities in EPA Region 2 is available at www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region2.html


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