[CPEO-BIF] Stimulus money for Superfund and underground storage tanks

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

The House Appropriations stimulus discussion draft is available at 
http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryReport01-15-09.pdf

Pages 42-43 describes funding for both Superfund cleanup and the federal 
underground storage tank program:

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE SUPERFUND

Superfund Remedial Clean-up Program Recovery funding: $800 million

The Superfund Remedial prog ram addresses contamination from 
uncontrolled releases at hazardous and toxic waste sites that threaten 
human health and the environment. The Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry estimates that 1 in 4 American children lives within 4 
miles of a hazardous waste site and warns that these children have a 
greater potential for health problems. According to the National 
Research Council, these health problems can include heart disease, 
congenital malformations, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, and learning 
disabilities. Of the over 15,000 uncontrolled hazardous waste sites 
nation-wide, EPA currently has listed 1,255 sites on its National 
Priority List. It is these sites, selected based on a hazard ranking 
system, which would benefit from recovery funds. In 2009 there could be 
as many as 20 Superfund sites ready for construction, but not funded due 
to budget shortfalls. The Recovery funds will begin to address those 
sites, plus accelerate construction at many of 600 sites where work has 
been limited in the past by funding constraints. Because many Superfund 
sites are “ready to go” or “ready to expand” and because these funds 
will be obligated mostly through existing contracts and Interagency 
Agreements, it is expected that all the funds will be obligated and 
mostly expended within a two year timeframe. EPA estimates that the 
proposed recovery funds would create 3,125 direct jobs, not including 
secondary jobs related to equipment and supplies.

LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK TRUST FUND PROGRAM

Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Enforcement and Clean-up Program 
Recovery funding: $200 million

Through the Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) Program, EPA 
provides resources to states and territories for the oversight, 
enforcement and cleanup of petroleum releases from underground storage 
tanks (USTs). EPA estimates that every year 7,570 new releases occur. 
Added to the number of sites not yet completed, there could be as many 
as 116,000 sites requiring clean up actions in 2009. Each of these 
releases has the potential to contaminate important source water and 
drinking water supplies that Americans rely on for clean and safe water. 
 These funds would address approximately 1,600 additional clean ups and 
create 3,200 jobs.

Lenny

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Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
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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