The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding one site and proposing to add four additional sites to the Superfund National Priorities List.
These additions would help tackle priority environmental issues like the long-term protection of drinking water, reducing childhood lead exposure and addressing the legacy of uranium contamination in the Navajo Nation, according to a March 27 EPA news release.
“When we add a site to the National Priorities List, EPA is committing to permanently addressing contamination on-site and ensuring surrounding communities receive the protection and support they deserve,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in the release.
The East Basin Road groundwater site in New Castle, Del., will be added to the list, the release reported. The four proposed sites are Federated Metals Corp Whiting in Hammond, Ind.; Capitol Lakes in Baton Rouge, La.; Fansteel Metals/FMRI in Muskogee, Okla.; and Lukachukai Mountains Mining District in Cove, Navajo Nation, Ariz.
These sites are in communities with potential environmental justice concerns based on data from EJSCREEN, the release reported. President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law accelerates EPA’s work to clean up this pollution with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program.
Before EPA adds a site to the National Priorities List, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period, according to the release. EPA will add the site to the National Priorities List if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
The National Priorities List serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions, according to the release.
The Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities, and the program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, the release said. Research has shown residential property values increase up to 24% within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has followed through on updating the National Priorities List twice a year, as opposed to once per year, according to the release.
