[CPEO-BIF] GAO rpeort on EPA and Katrina

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Hurricane Katrina: EPA's Current and Future Environmental Protection 
Efforts Could Be Enhanced by Addressing Issues and Challenges Faced on 
the Gulf Coast

Government Accountability Office
GAO-07-651
June 25, 2007  (97 pages)

Summary

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina's impact on the Gulf Coast included damage to 
the environment from chemical and hazardous materials releases. Also, 
the widespread demolition and renovation activities still under way in 
New Orleans may release asbestos fibers into the air, posing a potential 
additional health risk. This report, conducted at the Comptroller 
General's initiative, addresses (1) the Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) actions to assess and mitigate Katrina's environmental 
impacts, (2) the extent to which EPA has assurance that public health is 
protected from asbestos inhalation risks in New Orleans, (3) the extent 
to which EPA's environmental health risk communications provided useful 
information to the public, and (4) challenges EPA faces in addressing 
environmental impacts.

Under challenging circumstances, EPA worked with federal and state 
partners to respond to chemical and oil spills, collect abandoned 
chemical containers, coordinate recycling of damaged appliances, and 
collect and recycle electronic waste. EPA also conducted air, water, 
sediment, and soil sampling; helped assess drinking water and wastewater 
infrastructures; and issued timely information to the public on a 
variety of environmental health risks. However, as cleanup continues, 
EPA's assurance that public health is protected from risks associated 
with inhalation of asbestos fibers is limited because the agency has not 
deployed air monitors in and around New Orleans neighborhoods where 
demolition and renovation activities are concentrated. While EPA took 
steps to monitor asbestos after the hurricane --for example, more than 
doubling the number of ambient (outdoor) air monitors and monitoring 
emissions at debris reduction sites--monitors were not placed in areas 
undergoing substantial demolition and renovation, such as the Ninth 
Ward. This is problematic because monitors effectively detect releases 
of asbestos from demolition activities only if they are located 
immediately adjacent to demolition sites. Further, many thousands of 
homes being demolished and renovated by or for individual homeowners are 
generally not subject to EPA's asbestos emissions standards aimed at 
limiting releases of fibers into the air. While EPA provided useful 
environmental health risk information to the public via flyers, public 
service announcements, and the EPA Web page, the communications were at 
times unclear and inconsistent on how to mitigate exposure to some 
contaminants, particularly asbestos and mold. Further, the usefulness of 
three key reports on EPA's environmental sampling in New 
Orleans--developed with, among others, the Louisiana Department of 
Environmental Quality to address potential health risks from exposure to 
floodwaters, sediments, and air--was limited by a lack of timeliness and 
insufficient disclosures about EPA's sampling program. For example, EPA 
did not state until August 2006 that its December 2005 report--which 
said that the great majority of the data showed that adverse health 
effects would not be expected from exposure to sediments from previously 
flooded areas--applied to short-term visits, such as to view damage to 
homes. Mitigating several challenges EPA faces addressing Hurricane 
Katrina could better protect the environment in the future. First, EPA 
did not remove hazardous materials from national wildlife refuges in a 
timely manner as part of its response in part because disaster 
assistance funding generally is not used for debris cleanups on federal 
lands. Second, because states generally have authority over landfill 
decisions, EPA does not have an effective role in emergency debris 
disposal decisions that could cause pollution. Finally, lack of clarity 
in federal debris management plans and protocols precluded the timely 
and safe disposal of some appliances and electronic waste.



For the original summary as well as a link to the full report, go to
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-07-651

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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