Superfund:
Times to Assess and Clean Up Hazardous Waste Sites Exceed Program Goals
T-RCED-97-69: Published: Feb 13, 1997. Publicly Released: Feb 13, 1997.
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GAO discussed the results of its examination of trends in the time taken to complete: (1) evaluations of hazardous waste sites for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL), the Superfund Program's list of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites; and (2) cleanup of sites following their listing.
GAO noted that: (1) for sites listed in 1996, it took an average of 9.4 years from site discovery to final listing on the NPL; (2) while this is some improvement over 1995, it is still longer than earlier listing times; (3) for sites listed from 1986 to 1990, it took an average of 5.8 years from discovery to listing; (4) the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate nonfederal sites for listing, where warranted, within 4 years of their discovery; (5) listing decisions were made within 4 years of discovery for 43 percent of the sites discovered from 1987 through 1991; (6) a number of factors contributed to the long time needed to list a site, including a backlog of sites awaiting evaluation and EPA's emphasis on completing already listed sites; (7) cleanup completion times have also lengthened; (8) from 1986 to 1989, cleanup projects were finished, on average, 3.9 years after sites were placed on the NPL; (9) by 1996, however, cleanup completions were averaging 10.6 years; (10) SARA did not set deadlines for completing cleanups within a certain number of years, but EPA set an expectation for fiscal year 1993 for its regions to complete cleanup within 5 years of a site's listing; (11) much of the time taken to complete cleanups is attributable to the early planning phases of the cleanup process, when cleanup remedies are selected; (12) less time has been spent on actual construction work at sites than on selecting remedies; and (13) EPA officials attributed the increased completion times for cleanups to the growing complexity of sites, efforts to reach settlements with parties responsible for site contamination, and resource constraints.
Jan 22, 2021
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Information on the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability ProgramGAO-21-240R: Published: Jan 22, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 22, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
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Chemical Assessments:
Annual EPA Survey Inconsistent with Leading Practices in Program ManagementGAO-21-156: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 15, 2021
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Environmental Liabilities:
NASA's Reported Financial Liabilities Have Grown, and Several Factors Contribute to Future UncertaintiesGAO-21-205: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
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Nuclear Waste:
Congressional Action Needed to Clarify a Disposal Option at West Valley Site in New YorkGAO-21-115: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
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Hanford Cleanup:
DOE's Efforts to Close Tank Farms Would Benefit from Clearer Legal Authorities and CommunicationGAO-21-73: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
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Drinking Water:
EPA Could Use Available Data to Better Identify Neighborhoods at Risk of Lead ExposureGAO-21-78: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020. -
Recycling:
Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help Address Cross-Cutting ChallengesGAO-21-87: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
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Environmental Protection:
Action Needed to Ensure EPA's Enforcement and Compliance Activities Support Its Strategic GoalsGAO-21-82: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020. -
Oil and Gas:
Onshore Competitive and Noncompetitive Lease RevenuesGAO-21-138: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 7, 2020
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Air Pollution:
Opportunities to Better Sustain and Modernize the National Air Quality Monitoring SystemGAO-21-38: Published: Nov 12, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 7, 2020.
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