SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE

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0 • EPA officials Predict Prompt Action on Large Part of Superfund Reforms EPA is moving quickly to imple- key field staff. for promotions. Some regions have ment as many as one-third of the 50 Revision of the citizens Technical begun promoting remedial project recommendations of its recent 90-day Assistance Grants program is expect- managers from GS-12 to GS-13, and management review even before the ed to be among the first of the others are investigating their authority implementation plan is announced. reforms to be implemented. Slated to promote regional attorneys from Slated for.immediate implementation for early action: development of GS-13 to GS-14. are recommendations concerning treatability protocols to help site increased •citizen involvement, en- coordinators choose appropriate hanced use of innovative tech- technologies for toxic waste cleanup; nologies, and stricter enforcement. A development of pay, training, and Early Conduct new technology czar' also may be incentive programs to attract and appointed by the endof September, retain key field staff; and formulation of Studies Emphasized and EPA may be deep into actions of a "unified national position des- in Treatability to improve personnel programs for cription" to establish uniform criteria Assistance Program Proposed NPL Additions Termed A new treatability assistance pro- gram recommended by the EPA 90- Larger and More Complex day management review of Superfund By Reilly will provide site coordinators with four components in order to help them choose the correct cleanup Most of the proposed 52 federal of remediating the hazards. methods for specific wastes. The facilities to be added to the EPA's No Superfund resources can be program, operated by the Office of National Priorities List (NPL) are used to pay for long-term remedial Research and Development, will contaminated with "wide varieties of actions at federal facilities, according facilitate the use of treatability stud- radioactive and hazardous wastes," to CERCLA Section 120. Thus, each ies. In the past, such studies -- which according to EPA Administrator federal department is required to help determine that a given waste William Reilly, and thus are "much find clean-up funds from its own can be properly treated with a spec- larger and more complex" than other budget. EPA works with each agency ific technology under given conditions Superfund sites. Forty-one of the through an interagency agreement at an individual site -- were conduct- proposed sites belong to the Depart- process, which includes representa- ed after selection of a remedy. The ment of Defense. Nine are from the tives of the state in which the site is 90-day review specified that such Department of Energy, one from the located, as well as representatives of studies be conducted at the investi- Federal Aviation Administration, and EPA and the involved agency. Any gation stage, to determine the feasi- one from the Department of Trans- agreement reached is legally binding bility of a remedy early-on. portation. and enforceable in US district court The four types of assistance to be Among the more well-known pro- by either a state or its citizens, ac- provided are: posed sites are the Feed Materials cording to EPA. If a federal agency 1) A set of standardized protocols Production Center, Fernald, OH; the does not comply with deadlines or for treatability studies will be devel- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak other conditions in the agreement, oped to improve their overall quality Ridge, TN; Site 300 at the Lawrence EPA has the authority to assess and simplify the process. Livermore National Laboratory, Liv- penalties. No agreements have been 2) A list of companies that can con- ermore, CA; and the Brookhaven reached concerning the 52 newly- duct studies on contract will be pre- National Laboratory, Brookhaven, proposed facilities. pared and distributed to regions. NY. The total list includes sites in With the addition of the 52 fed- 3) A databank will be developed and 26 states, including 10 in California, eral facilities, the NPL currently maintained to provide information on and four in both Alaska and Florida. contains 1,224 sites -- 889 final and treatability studies which have been In announcing the list, Reilly stated 335 proposed. Of the 115 federal conducted. that it is "another step that makes sites, 41 are final and 74 proposed. 4) Fact sheets on innovative tech- good" on President Bush's promise An EPA Federal Facilities Hazar- nologies will be produced. to "elevate the priority of federal dous Waste Compliance Docket Although most treatability studies facility cleanups." By adding these currently contains more than 1,100 are conducted by contractors, EPA facilities to the NPL, Reilly stated, federal sites needing assessment in does do some in-house, particularly the EPA will be able to ensure that order to determine if they should be those that are more complex or that federal agencies "get on with the job" included on the NPL. involve new technologies. 4