[EPA press release - October 23, 1981]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced 114 top-priority hazardous waste sites targeted for action under Superfund, a five-year, $1.6 billion federal cleanup program.

"This is a milestone in the development and implementation of Superfund," said EPA Administrator Anne M. Gorsuch. "The list we have developed represents a program to which we have given the highest priority, and one we are determined to make successful."

Mrs. Gorsuch said the Reagan Administration is "committed to the cleanup of hazardous waste sites as quickly and effectively as possible."

Superfund is the name given to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act that was passed by Congress in December 1980.

It provides funds from industry and the federal government to clean up hazardous waste sites where responsible parties cannot be determined or cannot afford to pay for cleanup.

The ranking of sites was based on a hazard-scoring system developed by EPA and one of its contractors, with extensive input from states and industry. The greatest emphasis was on potential threat to public health, but the threat to the environment was also taken into account.

Pollution via three "pathways"--air, groundwater and surface water--was measured for potential impacts. Fire, explosions, and the possibility of direct contact received separate evaluation as more appropriate for emergency action.

In some cases, EPA authorized an emergency removal action based on information uncovered during the hazard-scoring process.

The list of 114 sites was developed from an initial list of 282 sites evaluated by the states and EPA's 10 regional offices this summer. The final quality-assurance phase of the process was conducted by EPA headquarters over the past 1-1/2 months.

The sites announced today will be candidates for inclusion on the list of 400 national priority "response targets" that the Superfund law required EPA to identify.

That list will be made final after public participation and after the results of further study and data collection are incorporated into the hazard scoring.

Under Superfund, states must contribute at least 10 percent of the actual long-term costs of cleanup per site, unless the site is publicly owned. On publicly owned sites, the state is required to pay or assure at least 50 percent of the costs.

Detailed plans for the cleanup will be worked out in conjunction with the states. Cleanup can occur through three mechanisms: direct federal contracts; cooperative agreements under which the state takes the lead in directing cleanup, and private cleanup through voluntary or court-ordered action.

"The Agency will continue to press responsible parties--through legal action, if necessary--to clean up sites threatening public health or the environment," Mrs. Gorsuch said. "Where this cannot be done, or if it cannot be accomplished in a timely manner, EPA and the states will finance remedial action under Superfund."

To date, EPA has spent some $13 million in Superfund money on emergency action for 34 sites in 18 states. It has also awarded $17 million for design and engineering studies on 25 other sites in 19 states, almost all of which appear on the list announced today.

Priority List Facts

44 States and territories have sites on the list.

11 States and territories do not have a site on the list.

The State with the most sites on the list is Florida with 16; next is New Jersey with 12.

Other States with more than 1 site are:

• New York (8)
• Pennsylvania (8)
• Minnesota (5)
• Massachusetts, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio (4)
• California, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware (3)
• Virginia, Oklahoma, Indiana, Missouri (2)

26 States or territories have just 1 site on the list.

37 States designated a site on the list as their highest priority list.

18 of the 20 pre-Superfund sites are on the priority list.

EPA is currently spending Superfund and other dollars for remedial planning and design at 25 sites, 21 of which are on the priority list.

Of 31 sites at which EPA has conducted emergency removals, 8 are on the priority list.

Statement of Anne M. Gorsuch, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
[October 23, 1981]

Today, I am pleased to announce the selection of 114 sites that will be assigned our first cleanup priorities under Superfund, the $1.6 billion hazardous waste remedial and emergency response program.

We are committed t the cleanup of these sites as quickly and effectively as possible. Our identification of these sites for priority action is essential to protect the public health and the environment.

This selection was developed from a larger list of 282 sites evaluated by the states and EPA's 10 regional offices earlier this summer. The sites selected for remedial action today will be candidates for inclusion in the 400 nation-wide priority "response targets" required by law.

Detailed plans for cleanup of the 114 sites will be developed in conjunction with the states, which must contribute at least 10 percent to the cleanup costs, unless the site is publicly owned. In those cases, the state is required to assume at least 50 percent of the costs.

Cleanup operations will be conducted primarily through three mechanisms: direct EPA contracts; cooperative agreements where the states take the lead, and private cleanup through voluntary or court-ordered action.

We also will continue to press responsible parties, through legal action if necessary, for the cleanup of sites that represent a threat.

Today's action is one of the major milestones we have reached in implementing the Superfund law. We intend to move as expeditiously as possible to remove these potential dangers to the environment. The list we have developed represents a program to which we have given the highest priority, and one we are determined to make successful.