ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY UPDATE ARTICLES

FEARING CUTS, STATES THREATEN TO PLACE MORE SITES ON SUPERFUND LISTS

State cleanup officials are threatening to list more sites on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in an attempt to secure federal funding for their cleanup projects and prevent EPA from allocating cleanup funds based on the number of Superfund sites located in individual states.

The officials are making the threat because they fear that funds they depend on for running their core cleanup programs will be cut by EPA in fiscal year 2002. They say that unlike previous years, agency officials have not yet provided adequate assurances that the funds will not be cut.

Some state officials from Midwestern states suggested that their fears were being driven by a recent EPA Region V proposal that would direct cleanup funds to states based on the number of Superfund sites in each state. Sources say the Region V proposal has not yet been finalized.

But states also fear that cuts in EPA’s annual appropriations may further limit the money EPA will have available to distribute to them for their core funds.

EPA officials say they are waiting to see what Congress decides before seeking to assure states about future funding levels.

The agency is also waiting for the outcome of a 10-year projection of cleanup costs to be completed by Resources for the Future, an environmental think tank. Bill Muno, head of Region V’s cleanup program, called this study "one of the most important in the history of Superfund" because of its probable effect on Superfund funding over the next 10 years. Agency officials hope that the results of this study will help convince Congress that the Superfund program is not ramping down, and that continued funding is necessary.

At issue are funds that EPA distributes to states to run their core cleanup program. Over the last two fiscal years, EPA has provided between $18 million and $19.5 million in funds for state core programs.

(Superfund Report, 8/21/00)