Asbestos Removal and Disposal: EPA Needs to Improve Compliance With Its Regulations
RCED-92-83
Published: Feb 25, 1992. Publicly Released: Apr 01, 1992.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) implementation of Clean Air Act regulations governing the removal and disposal of asbestos during building renovation and demolition, focusing on EPA: (1) monitoring of building owners' and contractors' compliance with regulations; and (2) enforcement of the regulations when it detects violations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | In light of the EPA asbestos program's resource problem, the Administrator, EPA, should establish national standards of performance for EPA regional offices and the delegated state and local agencies to meet in implementing the asbestos program. In recognition of the limited resources available, those standards should be based on the minimum levels of compliance monitoring needed to ensure a viable program that protects public health. The standards should incorporate appropriate methods for targeting resources. |
EPA developed a performance standard for the regions to use in negotiating annual grant agreements with the delegated agencies that implement the program. The standard was used for the fiscal year 1994 negotiations.
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| Environmental Protection Agency | In light of the EPA asbestos program's resource problem, the Administrator, EPA, should correct inaccuracies in the NARS database and monitor the performance of EPA regional offices and the delegated state and local agencies to identify instances in which regions or agencies need special assistance to develop their capacity to operate a viable program for monitoring and enforcing federal asbestos regulations. |
EPA has taken various actions to reduce data entry delays which it believes are the biggest accuracy problem with the NARS database. EPA has also informed the regions and the states of the need to keep NARS accurate and is using the system to monitor the performance of the delegated agencies.
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Topics
Air pollution controlAsbestosConstruction (process)Environmental monitoringstate relationsFiber inhalation diseasesFines (penalties)Hazardous substancesLaw enforcementManagement information systemsState-administered programsAsbestos abatement