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Initiative I
More Effective and Consistent Cleanups
The following actions will provide opportunities for cleanup programs to coordinate and plan together on specific problems. These activities will lead to:
- faster, more effective and efficient cleanups
- application of the most appropriate authorities and approaches
- clear direction for future application of resources
Action Item 1 - Area wide pilot projects
EPA will work with the regions, states, tribes, local governments and other federal agencies to select and conduct area wide pilot projects. They will be chosen to demonstrate cross-program coordination and consistency in cleaning up groups of co-located or similar contaminated sites. These pilots will be closely observed to identify successful approaches and systems that can be further developed and incorporated into future plans and activity. The pilots also will be designed to study potential integrated information systems and better cross-program measures of success, as discussed under Initiatives II & III.
Action Item 2 - Cleanup Programs Council (A web link with additional details will be provided soon.)
Under the direction of the Assistant Administrators of OSWER and OECA, a standing council of directors from the nation's waste cleanup programs will convene regularly to provide a coordinated, high level perspective of critical waste cleanup issues.
Action Item 3 - Cross-program task forces (A web link with additional details will be provided soon.)
Cross-program task forces will conduct more detailed analysis of critical cleanup issues and support new policy guidance, as appropriate. The task forces will actively work with programs and stakeholders to encourage implementation of new approaches as they relate to these issues. Initial task forces include:
- Groundwater Cleanup
- Site assessment decision making (consider ways to ensure the best combination of program approaches for categories of sites or large, challenging problems)
- Long term site stewardship (post-construction, financial assurance
and technical issues)
EPA is also considering the formation of work groups between OSWER, the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) and the Office of Water (OW) to address cross-media cleanup issues related to PCBs, lead, asbestos and the cleanup of watersheds.
Action Item 4 - Federal facilities, executive leadership policy steering committee (A web link with additional details will be provided soon.)
EPA will convene a steering committee comprising Assistant Secretary/Assistant Administrator level executives from federal agencies involved in the cleanup of contaminated sites. The committee will identify and coordinate cross-agency cleanup issues. It will be supported by cross-agency work groups to conduct and develop more detailed analysis and guidance for the issues considered by the committee.