Budget Cuts and Cleanup

[Peter Strauss <pstrauss@igc.org>]

I have just had a meeting with EPA reps., and I am very concerned that 
the appropriations bill will have a chilling effect on superfund 
cleanup at private sites. I don't know the ramifications at federal sites,
although I am told it will bve somewhat different. I would rather not 
use the names or reference the site, but those of you who know me can 
probably guess.
In the first instance, EPA has interpreted the house languge to mean 
that they can not enforce new phases of the cleanup process. In other 
words, if a site is at the remedial design phase, as soon as that is 
approved, EPA cannot enforce the remedial action. A private site could 
voluntarily implement remedial action, but with no oversight or 
enforcement authority. As I stated above, I don't know how this 
translates to federal facilities, but should you have a "mixed" 
facility where both private and public parties are responsible, it 
could substantially slow the pace of cleanup.
In the second instance, EPA project managers may lose their jobs. This 
is partticulary troublesome in the site that I am working on because 
the EPA RPM has changed so many times in the last few years. Since 
becoming a Technical Advisor at the site, I have seen four (yes, four) 
RPMs. It takes a new RPM about six months to get up to speed at a 
site, so assuming EPA can shuffle people around, the process would be 
delayed. The community and the private parties need some consistancy. 
I hope that some private parties are listening, because its going to 
affect you as well as the "public". Perhaps you're more able to access 
the Republican leadership.
Any comments or clarifacations would be helpful. (I should add that 
the first example I used i.e., no enforcement, is conditional until a 
new Superfund Re-authorization Act is enacted.
Peter Strauss