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NACEPT Superfund Subcommittee
NACEPT Superfund SubcommitteeLois Gartner, (703) 603-9046
July 31, 2002
State Issue
EPA created the Superfund Subcommittee under the Agency's existing National
Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) to discuss
the future direction of the Superfund program, including the role of states.
Status and Future Actions
- The first meeting of the Superfund Subcommittee took place in Alexandria,
VA, on June 17-19, 2002.
- Chaired by Dr. Ray Loehr from the University of Texas at Austin, the
Subcommittee membership represents a spectrum of Superfund stakeholders–
from EJ to industry.
- The specific issues on which EPA has asked the group to deliberate
encompass what the role of the NPL should be, how the Agency and Nation
should address complex and expensive sites called mega sites, and program
performance measures.
- The panel is looking at these issues using a framework that assumes
a Superfund funding level consistent with that of the last several years.
Their framework also assumes they will not focus on legislative changes
but will work within the existing statutory structure.
- We expect the group to meet over the next year and a half and hope
to see a set of recommendations formulated around consensus.
- The Subcommittee's next meeting will take place in Crystal City, VA,
on September 23-24, 2002.
Background
- The Agency drafted an action plan in response to the findings and
recommendations of the Resources for the Future (RFF) Superfund cost
study released last summer.
- One of the key recommendations of the RFF study was that EPA should
clarify the role of the NPL as the Superfund program moves forward into
the future.
- In response to that particular recommendation, the draft action plan
contained a component that proposed using a federal advisory committee
dialogue to define the purpose of the NPL.
- At the beginning of her tenure as the AA for OSWER, Marianne Horinko
announced her intention to broaden the scope of the action plan and
the NACEPT dialogue to encompass more than a response to the RFF study.
- For the NACEPT process, this change means the Subcommittee's dialogue
will be undertaken against a backdrop of how other federal and state
waste cleanup programs relate to Superfund and how all cleanup programs
can work together in a more unified and consistent fashion.
Speaking Points (Roundtable Agenda Topic)
- The first meeting of the National Advisory Council for Environmental
Policy and Technology (NACEPT) Superfund Subcommittee took place in
mid-June.
- EPA formed this panel to look at critical issues pertaining to the
Superfund program and to consider those issues in the context of other
waste cleanup programs.
- Chaired by Dr. Ray Loehr from the University of Texas at Austin, the
Subcommittee membership represents a spectrum of Superfund stakeholders–
from EJ to industry.
- State representatives are: Mark Giesfeldt (WI), Catherine Sharp (OK),
Ed Putnam (NJ), Vicky Peters (CO) and tribal representatives: Ken Jock
(St. Regis Mohawk Tribe) and Jason White (Cherokee Nation).
- The specific issues on which EPA has asked the group to deliberate
encompass what the role of the NPL should be, how the Agency and Nation
should address large complex sites called mega sites, and program performance
measures.
- They are looking at these issues using a framework that assumes a
Superfund funding level consistent with the past few years. Their framework
also assumes they will not focus on legislative changes but will work
within the existing statutory structure.
- We expect the group to meet over the next year and a half and hope
to see a set of recommendations formulated around consensus.
- The Subcommittee's next meeting will take place in Crystal City, VA, on September 23-24, 2002.