EPA administrator streamlines Superfund remediation approval process

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is planning to prioritize Superfund cleanup and streamline the approval process for sites with remedies estimated to cost $50 million or more. The revision to EPA’s delegation of authority is designed to ensure decision making comes straight from the administrator. EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for the cleanup some of the nation’s most contaminated areas.

“I am making it a priority to ensure contaminated sites get cleaned up. We will be more hands on to ensure proper oversight and attention to the Superfund program at the highest levels of the agency, and to create consistency across states,” says Pruitt.

The administrator of EPA has always had the authority to sign off on Superfund remediation efforts. Until recently, however, this authority had been delegated many layers into the bureaucracy. Putting the decision of how to clean up the sites directly into the hands of the administrator is designed to help revitalize contaminated sites faster.

An interagency memo explains, “It is through this enhanced cooperation and continuous involvement that we will work to revitalize this essential agency effort while enhancing consistency in remedy selection across states and the regions.”

Pruitt visited the USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago, Indiana, in April to view ongoing cleanup activities. He met with East Chicago residents, federal, state and local officials, and pledged improved coordination and communication as cleanup continues.

The delegation of authority memo issued on May 9, 2017, is here: www.epa.gov/newsreleases/cercla-memo-directive-prioritize-superfund-cleanups.