FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2022
CONTACT: Mollie Michel, Deputy Director, 718-536-6336 and mollie.michel@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org
The Environmental Protection Network Commends the Move By EPA to Update the Superfund National List of Priorities, Adding 12 New Sites
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added 12 new hazardous waste sites, including one federal site, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), which includes U.S. sites with the most serious uncontrolled contamination problems. The NPL is EPA’s basis for prioritizing Superfund funding and enforcement actions. This announcement is another step forward for EPA’s Superfund program, which is receiving $3.5 billion in funding to clean up Superfund sites through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, one of the largest investments in history to address legacy pollution and the harms it causes to communities around the country.
“With this new update of the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), EPA is signaling it is back into its regular twice-a-year schedule for updating the NPL,” said Jim Woolford, EPN member and former Director of the Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation in EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “The Environmental Protection Network made this specific recommendation in its “Resetting the Course of EPA” chapter on cleaning up Superfund sites, and we are heartened to see it is happening. Updates to the NPL frequently go unnoticed, but this is a critical step in the Superfund cleanup process as it sets the stage for further EPA actions to protect the health and well-being of communities, states, and tribes adversely affected by releases from these sites.”
“Kudos to EPA for adding 12 new hazardous waste sites to the Superfund list of sites that pose the greatest threats to people’s health and the environment,” said Bill Muno, former Director of the Region 5 Superfund Division. “While it’s important to advance work to clean up sites already on the list and delete cleaned up sites, the new Superfund designations will make it possible for EPA to fully investigate the risks and work closely with impacted communities to develop protective cleanup plans. We encourage EPA to update the Superfund list more frequently to address new sites that communities bring to its attention.”
EPN members Jim Woolford and Bill Muno are available for media interviews regarding EPA’s announcement, the history of Superfund, and the impact the $3.5 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will have on the program.