Tag: NPL

Superfund site, abandoned industrial building on river

EPA and GAO Diverge on Climate Change Threat to Superfund Sites

The growing severity of flooding, storm surge, and wildfires brought on by climate change increases the risk that these events will spread contamination from Superfund sites and damage remedies put in place to control those risks. In a new report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that 60% (945 of 1,571) of all nonfederal […]

Superfund site

Exploring EPA’s Superfund Partial Deletion Policy

Partial deletions from Superfund sites on the federal National Priorities List (NPL) have become a significant component of the EPA’s goal of accelerating cleanups of contaminated properties and shortening the path to redevelopment and safe, productive reuse. The EPA has reported that there have been 14 partial deletions from the NPL so far this year. […]

Subsurface Component Added to Superfund Ranking System

In a final rule, the EPA has added a subsurface intrusion component to the hazard ranking system (HRS) the Agency uses when considering whether to add sites to the Superfund’s National Priorities List (NPL). Until this action, the HRS, which was promulgated in 1990, did not consider the threat posed by subsurface intrusion when evaluating […]

Superfund Site Redevelopment—Common Concerns

Superfund Site Redevelopment—Common Concerns Despite the negative connotations associated with Superfund sites, many are salvageable and reusable, not only for purposes like landfills or parking lots but also for recreational, commercial, and industrial uses. By 2014, EPA’s SRI had assisted with more than 800 sites now in continued, active, or planned reuse over its 15-year […]