EPA says guidance will expedite brownfield projects

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to accelerate lead cleanup at contaminated Superfund and other brownfield sites by updating guidance and streamlining processes for investigating and cleaning up lead in residential soil at contaminated sites, in part by emphasizing early collaboration with state and local partners to provide multiple layers of protection for communities.

The Trump administration says January 2024 guidance from the Biden administration “hampered cleanup efforts by creating uncertainty for decision makers and the public at Superfund sites and hazardous waste cleanups.” EPA says its new approach addresses “inconsistencies and inefficiencies that have led to analysis paralysis, slowing down progress to decrease lead exposure in residential neighborhoods at Superfund and hazardous waste sites.”

Now, EPA says site teams will be able to expedite cleanups and effectively reduce lead exposure in affected communities.

The updated guidance establishes a screening level of 200 parts per million for lead in residential soil in all EPA regions, establishes an all regions removal management level of 600 parts per million for lead in residential soil and sets a target children’s blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter in all regions to determine preliminary remediation goals.

EPA also will implement process changes that include tools aimed at supporting more nationally consistent cleanup decisions, early engagement with state and local partners, sharing best practices through the establishment of a National Center of Excellence for Residential Lead Cleanups and specialized contracting mechanisms to leverage removal and remedial actions.

The agency says it will continue to use site-specific factors, including exposure considerations, soil lead background levels and community input, to make informed decisions on how to best address lead exposure at each site.

“Children can’t wait years for us to put a shovel in the dirt to clean up the areas where they live and play,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin says. “We’re moving as quickly as possible to protect communities by using all of the tools available to us. Our children deserve fast action.”

Earlier this year, an EPA staff member indicated in an interview with Bloomberg News that the agency was developing methods to expedite work at sites hosting demolition and cleanup projects that EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi described as “often bogged down in legal disputes” and other barriers and hurdles.