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PR EPA DELIVERS ON SUPERFUND REFORM PROGRESS MAKING 1997 A STANDOUT YEAR FOR FASTER CLEANUPS AT LOWER COSTS

Release Date: 02/03/98
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released a report demonstrating that the 45 actions taken by the Clinton Administration to speed the cleanup of toxic waste sites in communities across the nation are working. The report shows that the Superfund program now is cleaning up the nation’s worst toxic waste sites about 20 percent faster and at a lower cost --resulting in the cleanup of more than twice as many toxic waste sites in the past five years than in the previous 12 years of the program.
EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner said, "Through common-sense reforms, the Clinton Administration has made Superfund work fairer, faster and more efficiently to protect the health of the one-in-four Americans who live near toxic waste sites. Our reforms also have protected the ‘little guy’ by removing over 15,000 small parties from potential cleanup liability while making sure that the responsible parties pay their fair share. However, in addition to these administrative reforms, we still need a new law to make the program work even better. We are committed to working with the Congress in a good-faith effort to achieve responsible change.”

Through fiscal year 1997 EPA’s Superfund accomplishments included:

•Completing construction of cleanup remedies at 88 more National Priorities List (NPL) sites, 349 in the last five years, for a total of 498 sites to date; 89 percent of all NPL sites have construction completed or underway;

•Saving an estimated $900 million in the future cleanup costs of Superfund remedies through the use of new technologies;

•Removing over 15,000 small parties from the liability system, thereby reducing transaction costs;

•Signing 70 agreements to remove liability barriers to property transfers and economic redevelopment;

•Getting responsible parties to pay for approximately 70 percent of long-term cleanups at a savings of more than $12 billion for taxpayers;

•Awarding 121 brownfields pilot grants of up to $200,000 to restore slightly contaminated urban areas to full economic productivity in communities across the nation under the Brownfields Action Agenda;

•Offering over $100 million to compensate parties for a portion of costs attributable to insolvent parties (orphan shares).

The “Superfund Reforms Annual Report FY 1997" summarizes the accomplishments of 45 reform initiatives announced by EPA since 1995 and implemented within the Superfund law’s existing statutory framework.

Copies of the report can be obtained through the RCRA/Superfund Hotline by calling 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810. The report also will be available on the Internet at https://www.epa.gov/superfund under the section “Initiatives and Programs.”

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