News Releases from Headquarters›Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)
EPA Updates Superfund National Priorities List, Commits to Clean Up Six New Sites
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its commitment to clean up six new sites by adding them to the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) and proposing to add another three hazardous waste sites to the NPL.
“EPA is making tremendous progress accelerating sites through the entire Superfund remediation process and returning them to safe and productive reuse,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Adding these sites to the proposed and final National Priorities List is the next step toward cleaning up these sites and creating a healthier environment for the affected communities.”
The following sites are being added to the NPL:
- Hockessin Groundwater in Hockessin, Delaware;
- Burlington Industries Cheraw in Cheraw, South Carolina;
- Franklin Street Groundwater Contamination in Spencer, Indiana;
- Spring Park Municipal Well Field in Spring Park, Minnesota;
- Lane Plating Works, Inc. in Dallas, Texas; and
- River City Metal Finishing in San Antonio, Texas.
The following sites are being proposed for addition to the NPL:
- Proteco in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico;
- Donnelsville Contaminated Aquifer in Donnelsville, Ohio; and
- Delfasco Forge in Grand Prairie, Texas.
“The City supports EPA’s listing of Lane Plating and looks forward to the environmental and economic benefits that a rapid and complete cleanup will provide to the community," said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
“The Greater Hockessin Area Development Association (GHADA) and the entire community are pleased to have the Hockessin groundwater site considered for inclusion on the National Priorities List for remediation and environmental recovery efforts,” said GHADA President Mark Blake. “Having the expertise and resources that the Environmental Protection Agency can bring to bear on this critical issue is the best possible outcome for everyone involved.”
“The City of Spring Park is supportive of the addition of the Spring Park Municipal Well Field Site to the EPA’s National Priorities List," said Spring Park City Manager Dan Tolsma. "The City is eagerly following the progress of the groundwater investigation and is excited about the opportunity to work with the EPA to conduct substantial remediation activities in the near future."
Background
All of the six sites being added to the NPL were included in the most recent proposed rule in January 2018, evidence of the EPA’s commitment to expediting the Superfund process.
Academic research has shown that Superfund cleanups reduce birth defects as much as 25 percent within approximately one mile of a site. Cleanups also increase tax revenue and create jobs during and after cleanup. According to EPA data, 487 of the 888 Superfund sites cleaned up for reuse supported approximately 6,600 businesses in 2017. And these businesses’ ongoing operations generate annual sales of $43.6 billion and employ more than 156,000 people who earned a combined income of $11.2 billion.
Superfund, which Congress established in 1980, investigates and remediates hazardous waste sites. The Superfund law directs EPA to update the NPL annually. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term cleanup. Administrator Pruitt has set the expectation that there will be a renewed focus on accelerating work and progress at all Superfund sites across the country.
EPA adds sites to the NPL when contamination threatens human health and the environment and then deletes sites from the NPL once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved.
The NPL is one focus area of the Superfund Task Force Recommendations that were announced in July 2017 to improve and revitalize the Superfund program.
The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites
For information about Superfund and the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund
