EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces Availability of up to $1.6 Million in Environmental Justice Grants for Tribal Public Participation Project

WASHINGTON (March 21, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the availability of up to $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to support Tribal government efforts to establish or modify programs on environmental justice water and air quality issues. Earlier this year, EPA announced spending plans for the $100 million in ARP funding appropriated by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and health outcome disparities, with $50 million being designated to improve ambient air quality monitoring, and $50 million designated to address disproportionate environmental or public health harms and risks in underserved communities. Congress made up to $1.6 million in ARP funding available to Tribes, recognizing the importance of supporting Tribal public engagement programs and related priorities that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA anticipates awarding 16 to 20 grants nationwide in amounts of up to $100,000 per award.  

“This funding opportunity will help ensure that our Tribal Nation partners and their communities are prioritized within EPA’s whole-of-government approach to address environmental challenges,” said JoAnn Chase, Director of the American Indian Environment Office. “This funding also serves as reaffirmation of EPA’s policy, and the Biden Administration’s priority, to advance and integrate environmental justice into all of our work, including our work with federally recognized Tribal governments and indigenous peoples.” 

“Our partners in Tribal governments recognize that they, just like us, advance justice by starting with meaningful engagement,” said Matthew Tejada, Director of the Office of Environmental Justice. “We are excited to support their efforts to lift up the voices of the people most impacted by and vulnerable to pollution.”

EPA is committed to assisting federally recognized Tribes in building capacity to establish public participation, community involvement, education, and communication systems to engage with tribal members and others living on tribal lands, as noted in the EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. 

Projects stemming from this Tribal grant opportunity will help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities. 

Applicants interested in this funding opportunity must submit grant proposal packages by May 19, 2022. Applicants should plan for projects to begin on October 1, 2022. To learn more about the pre-application assistance calls and how to apply for funding, visit: Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.

For more information about EPA’s programs in Indian Country, visit: Environmental Protection in Indian Country

For more information on EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, visit: Environmental Justice.

EPA Presents Coalfield Development Corporation $200K in Brownfields Job Training Grants To Build a Skilled Environmental Workforce

 EPA News Release:

EPA Presents Coalfield Development Corporation $200K in Brownfields Job Training Grants
To Build a Skilled Environmental Workforce

PHILADELPHIA (March 17, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz presented the Coalfield Development Corporation of Wayne, West Virginia, a $199,790 grant today for environmental job training. Ortiz made the presentation at the Black Diamond property in the Westmoreland section of Huntington, West Virginia.

“Job training and workforce development are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to build a better America by advancing economic opportunities and addressing environmental justice issues in underserved communities,” Ortiz said.  “EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program provides funding for curriculum development to train local unemployed and under-employed people. These Brownfields job training opportunities enable companies like Coalfield to take advantage of the jobs created by the assessment and cleanup of Brownfield sites in their own communities, by filling local environmental jobs with local people.”

Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many of these individuals are from historically under-served neighborhoods and reside in the areas affected by environmental justice issues. Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, these organizations provide training and offer residents of communities historically affected by environmental pollution, economic disinvestment, and brownfields an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities. Individuals typically graduate with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work, but long-term careers.

Ortiz made the presentation before touring the Black Diamond Property in the Westmoreland section of Huntington. Coalfield acquired Black Diamond in 2019. After community outreach and a grant application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Coalfield received cleanup funding through the EPA Brownfields Program. This grant will help Coalfield pay for a Licensed Remediation Specialist to plan and carry out the environmental clean-up onsite, all with the approval of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

Earlier in the day, Ortiz toured the former American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) Industries property in the city’s Highlawn neighborhood. The City of Huntington, through its partner the Huntington Municipal Development Authority, purchased the 47-acre former ACF manufacturing site and has focused its efforts during the past year on preparing the site and upgrading its infrastructure to welcome new, technology-focused businesses and light manufacturers at the new Huntington Brownfields Innovation Zone (H-Biz) Foundry Center. 

H-Biz will launch first with Marshall University’s Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI) who will repurpose the historic machine shop to become the RCBI Welding & Robotics Technology Training Center.  The training center will empower manufacturers and makers, moving innovative ideas from concept to market with leading-edge equipment to boost performance and skills training. The historic machine shop renovation will provide a 5,000-square-foot welding training center and a 5,000-square-foot robotic, gas tungsten arc (tungsten inert gas) and alloys welding training center, and also add a 5,000-square-foot addition for a RCBI classroom, front-office functions, and entrepreneurial support and business engagement services.​

President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment in national brownfields infrastructure ever. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s brownfields program. Of that investment, $30 million will be invested into future Brownfields Job Training grants.

During the next five years, communities, states and tribes will have the opportunity to apply for larger grants to include and enhance the environmental curriculum in existing job training programs. This investment will help trained individuals access jobs created through brownfields revitalization activities within their communities. EPA anticipates awarding as many as 50 additional grants to job training entities with BIL funding, beginning in fiscal year 2023. Application guidelines will be available in spring/summer 2022.

Since this program began in 1998, the Brownfields Job Training Program has awarded more than 352 grants. More than 19,456 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 14,560 individuals have been placed in full-time employment in careers related to remediation and environmental health and safety. The average starting wage for these individuals is over $14 an hour. 

For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training grant recipients, including past grantees, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy22-brownfields-job-training-grants

For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields grants, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants

Bear Creek Sediments Site in Baltimore Added to Superfund Cleanup List

 EPA News Release:

Bear Creek Sediments Site in Baltimore
Added to Superfund Cleanup List

Bear Creek’s addition to EPA’s National Priorities List elevates clean-up plans

PHILADELPHIA (March 18, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding the Bear Creek Sediments Site in Baltimore County, Maryland, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for remedial cleanup action financed under the federal Superfund program.

The Bear Creek Sediments Site consists of a minimum of 60 acres of contaminated sediments in the waters of Bear Creek, near its confluence with the Patapsco River along the northwestern shore of the Sparrows Point Peninsula, six miles southeast of downtown Baltimore.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.

Bear Creek is a tidal surface water body adjacent to the Sparrows Point Peninsula, which was the site of steelmaking and shipbuilding industries. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was the primary owner and operator for much of Sparrows Point’s operational history between 1887 and 2013.

More than 100 years of steelmaking left behind a legacy of contamination on both land and the waters surrounding the peninsula. Hazardous substances from the steelmaking process traveled into Bear Creek due to the steel plant's wastewater and stormwater discharges and settled into the sediments of the creek.

“This listing empowers us to continue working in partnership with the state of Maryland, and the community to investigate, and to clean up the contamination of the Bear Creek Sediments Site,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “Many Superfund sites are in communities of environmental justice concern. Through the cleanup of these sites, the Superfund program works to ensure that residents do not bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from past industrial, governmental, and commercial operations, and that they have meaningful involvement in the decisions on how to clean up the site.”

People may be exposed to contamination if they use the waters of Bear Creek for swimming,  fishing and crabbing. A Water Contact Advisory is in effect until further notice for the freshwater portion of the Patapsco River in Baltimore County. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has issued a fish consumption advisory for 10 species of fish and the blue crab caught in the Patapsco River-Baltimore Harbor Watershed due to the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, a class of toxic compounds often formed as waste in industrial processes, which is considered to be a probable human carcinogen.  

“We fully support and are partnering closely with EPA on the Superfund NPL listing of Bear Creek,” said Maryland Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles. “Together we can make real progress on cleaning up the offshore contamination, and that’s great news for Marylanders.”

The current owners of the former Bethlehem Steel facility have conducted extensive removal of contamination and capping under MDE and EPA oversight to ensure contamination from land sources no longer have the potential to migrate into Bear Creek.

On Sept. 9, 2021, EPA proposed adding the Bear Creek Sediments Site to the NPL by publishing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register and notified the community through the local media so interested community members could comment on the proposal.  

EPA held a 60-day comment period from Sept. 9 – Nov. 8, 2021. The Agency received 13 comments from 11 private citizens and two non-profit organizations, all expressing support for listing the Site on the NPL.

EPA considered those comments in the final decision to list the Bear Creek Sediments Site on the NPL and published a final rule in the Federal Register on March 16 establishing Bear Creek Sediments as a Superfund Site.

More information about the Bear Creek Sediments Site can be found at: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0305762

As the next step in the process, EPA will conduct a more comprehensive investigation of the site, to determine the full nature and extent of contamination and examine potential remedies. 

EPA Proposes Georgetown North Groundwater Site in Southern Delaware for Superfund Cleanup List

 EPA News Release:

EPA Proposes Georgetown North Groundwater Site
in Southern Delaware for Superfund Cleanup List

Georgetown site’s proposal to the EPA National Priorities List opens opportunity for public comments

PHILADELPHIA (March 18, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add the Georgetown North Groundwater site in Sussex County, Delaware, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) today. The NPL is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for remedial cleanup action financed under the federal Superfund program.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.

The Georgetown North Groundwater site is a groundwater plume – an area of groundwater that has been polluted by a contaminant release at a concentration above the laboratory reporting limit.  The area encompasses approximately one square-mile underlying commercial and residential areas within the town of Georgetown in southern Delaware.  While the public drinking water in Georgetown meets state and federal standards, the groundwater is contaminated with the solvent tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and its breakdown products. PCE, sometimes referred to as perc, is an organic chemical introduced in the environment by commercial and industrial operations, such as solvents used by dry cleaning activities.  EPA considers PCE as likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

The groundwater plume has two known former dry-cleaning sources – Georgetown Dry Cleaners and Thoro-Kleen Dry Cleaners. Plumes from these two facilities appear to have co-mingled and contributed to the contamination of municipal groundwater wells in Georgetown. There may also be other potential contributors to this plume which have not yet been fully investigated. 

“If finalized, today’s proposed listing will enable us to continue our joint work, to investigate and remediate the contamination in the Georgetown area,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “While the Georgetown Water Department is effectively treating the water supply, additional cleanup of the groundwater will maintain safe drinking water and protect human health and the environment in this community for many years to come.”

The state of Delaware began their investigation into potential sources when the water authority reported contaminants in the untreated water in 1985.  The state has previously conducted response actions at both the Georgetown Cleaners and Thoro-Kleen Dry Cleaners to remove storage tanks above and below ground.

Groundwater was not addressed during these tank removal activities at either property.   The town uses groundwater wells as the primary source of drinking water in this area.  Georgetown upgraded its water treatment plant in 2017 to remove the contaminants and currently meets all federal and state health standards for drinking water.

Vapor intrusion, a process by which chemicals in soil or groundwater can travel to indoor air above a contaminated site, may also pose a risk to residents and workers in buildings near the groundwater plume.   EPA will be conducting additional vapor intrusion investigations of buildings in the area in the upcoming months.

The state of Delaware referred the site to EPA in 2016 to assist in more fully characterizing the extent of the groundwater contamination.  The State has concurred on EPA’s decision to list the Georgetown North Groundwater site to the NPL.

When EPA proposes to add a site to the NPL, the Agency publishes the proposed rule in the Federal Register and notifies the community through the local media so interested members of the community can comment on the proposal.  

There will be a 60-day comment period from March 18 – May 17, 2022, where the public can comment on the listing of the Georgetown North Groundwater site. EPA will consider those comments in the final decision on listing the site on the NPL.  EPA will also hold a public information session during the comment period to explain the Superfund process to the community. 

If after the formal comment period, the site still qualifies for cleanup under Superfund, the Agency will publish a final rule in the Federal Register and Georgetown North Groundwater will become a Superfund Site.  EPA would then conduct a more comprehensive investigation of the  Site, to determine the full nature and extent of contamination and examine potential remedies. 

 More information about the proposal can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/georgetowngroundwater

All comments received will be treated equally. During the comment period, comments may be submitted in one of two ways:

Online:  http://www.regulations.gov   Search for EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0190

Mail:  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  

           EPA Docket Center  

            Docket # EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0190

           Mailcode 28221T  

           1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW  

           Washington, DC 20460   

For information about Superfund and the NPL: http://www.epa.gov/superfund

EPA Adds Paden City, West Virginia, Groundwater Site to Superfund Cleanup List

 EPA News Release:

EPA Adds Paden City, West Virginia, Groundwater Site
to Superfund Cleanup List

Paden City Groundwater’s addition to EPA’s National Priorities List elevates clean-up plans

PHILADELPHIA (March 18, 2021) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding the Paden City Groundwater site in Paden City (northern West Virginia) to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for remedial cleanup action financed under the federal Superfund program.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.

The state of West Virginia referred the Paden City Groundwater site to EPA to assist in characterizing the extent and impact of the groundwater contamination.  Paden City and the state of West Virginia support future investigation and NPL listing. 

The site consists of co-mingled groundwater plumes contaminated with the solvent tetrachloroethylene (commonly referred as perchloroethylene or PCE) and its breakdown products which are commonly used in commercial and industrial operations such as dry cleaning. EPA considers PCE or (perc) as likely to be carcinogenic to humans.

“Today’s listing will enable us to continue our work, to investigate and remediate the groundwater contamination and to protect the citizens of Paden City.” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz.  “The Superfund program works to ensure that residents don’t suffer negative environmental and public health consequences from past industrial and commercial operations,  and that they have meaningful involvement in the decisions on how to clean up the site.”

Paden City’s public water source is groundwater.  PCE was detected in the groundwater samples collected from the aquifer.  There are two active municipal wells in that area that are contaminated above EPA’s drinking water standards for PCE.  Paden City’s new water treatment plant was placed online in May 2020 and the drinking water currently meets state and federal Drinking Water standards.

“For far too long, the residents of Paden City have been dealing with contaminated drinking water that has impacted their lives on a daily basis,” said U.S. Senator Joe Manchin. “The inclusion of Paden City on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) is a step in the right direction to finding a permanent and long-term solution to the groundwater issues facing Paden City. I will continue working with Paden City, the EPA and state officials to clean up Paden City’s groundwater and fight to ensure all West Virginians have clean drinking water, no matter where they live.”

In concurrence with the state of West Virginia, EPA proposed adding the Paden City Groundwater site to the NPL on Sept. 9, 2021.  The Agency published the proposed rule in the Federal Register and notified the community through the local media so interested community members could comment on the proposal.  

The agency conducted a 60-day comment period from Sept. 9 – Nov. 8, 2021.  EPA received seven comments, five of which supported the listing of the Paden City Groundwater site on the NPL.

EPA considered those comments in the final decision to list the site on the NPL and published a final rule in the Federal Register on March 16 establishing Paden City Groundwater as a Superfund site.

More information about the Paden City Groundwater Site can be found at:  https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0304985

As the next step in the process, EPA will conduct a more comprehensive investigation of the Site, to determine the full nature and extent of contamination and examine potential remedies.

 EPA Press Office:

EPA Updates Superfund National Priorities List to Clean Up Pollution, Address Public Health Risks, and Build a Better America

EPA Adds Meeker Avenue Plume Site in Brooklyn, New York to the Superfund List

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (March 17, 2022) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to add five sites and is adding 12, including the final listing of the Meeker Avenue Plume site in Brooklyn, New York, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The federal NPL includes sites where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

"The addition of the Meeker Avenue Plume site to the National Priorities List will ensure a thorough evaluation and response to soil and groundwater contamination and indoor air quality concerns in the Meeker Avenue area," said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "We look forward to working with our state and local partners and to building relationships with community residents and leaders as we begin the site investigation process."

"After decades of irresponsible dumping, the addition of the Meeker Avenue Plume to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) marks a huge first step in ensuring the cleanup of this site," said Senator Chuck Schumer. "This listing will put the full weight of the EPA towards restoring the site and the safety of the Greenpoint and East Williamsburg communities. I applaud the EPA for this decision and look forward to continuing our partnership with the State of New York and local stakeholders to clean up contaminated sites across New York." 

"Listing the Meeker Avenue Plume is a great step in following through on the Superfund principle that the polluter pays right here in North Brooklyn," said Representative Velázquez. "This area has underground contamination of oil and a number of harmful, toxic chemicals, and the Superfund program is our strongest tool for cleaning up such hazardous sites. I strongly urged that the Meeker Avenue Plume be included as a Superfund cleanup site over a decade ago when I was working with the community to designate Newtown Creek. Working families have a right to live in a place that supports good public health, and I am thankful that EPA has put the Meeker Avenue Plume on the Superfund National Priorities List. This is a huge step in ensuring that those large corporations responsible are held accountable to pay for the cleanup. This is environmental justice for some of our most vulnerable residents who are at the highest risk of exposure."

“Having the Meeker Avenue Plume added to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites will enable the EPA to truly address legacy pollution and make federal cleanup funding available to protect New Yorkers,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “The plumes at this site are the result of historic hazardous waste dumping and irresponsible manufacturing practices, creating a substantial threat to my constituents and their health. I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration and the EPA for tackling these threats to human health and the environment. I’m grateful that New York can now get the help and support it needs to address these dangerous environmental effects once and for all.”

“New York State welcomes U.S. EPA’s proposed addition of the Brillo Landfill site and finalization of the Meeker Avenue Plume site to the Federal Superfund Program’s National Priorities List,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Working collaboratively with DEC, our federal partners will deploy the best available science and resources to protect the Greenpoint and East Williamsburg communities by addressing the soil, soil vapor, and groundwater plume in the vicinity of Meeker Avenue, and continue the critical work of preventing potential exposure to the public. DEC remains committed to partnering with the Biden Administration and EPA Administrator Regan to advance the cleanup of former industrial sites in Brooklyn, the town of Victory, and statewide to protect public health and the environment.” 

EPA is finalizing the site onto the NPL after proposing the site on September 8, 2021. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) discovered the Meeker Avenue Plume site during the investigation and remediation of a nearby plume from a petroleum spill northeast of the Meeker Avenue Plume site. This investigation and remediation identified chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) in subsurface soil and groundwater outside the historic petroleum spill area, prompting NYSDEC to investigate at the Meeker Avenue Plume site to identify the sources of the CVOC contamination. The Greenpoint area along the banks of Newtown Creek was historically used for petroleum refining and storage operations from the 1850s until refinery operations ceased in the 1960s. Since that time, some properties have been used as petroleum bulk storage terminals.

NYSDEC’s previous and ongoing work at this site includes investigations that revealed contaminants of CVOCs, including tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), in the subsurface soil and indoor air of occupied residential and commercial structures situated above the groundwater contaminant plume. Indoor air contamination from vapor intrusion presents a potential health risk. NYSDEC has taken measures to mitigate exposures by installing sub-slab depressurization systems, which direct hazardous vapors coming up through the soil to the exterior of the building. NYSDEC continues to conduct additional investigations to identify sources of contamination and continues to offer sub-slab and indoor air sampling to property owners within the Meeker Avenue Plume site boundary.

EPA’s next step will be to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study to determine the nature and extent of contamination, assess potential threats to human health and the environment, and evaluate various cleanup options based on the information collected. EPA will continue working closely with our state and local partners throughout the process, including community outreach and involvement activities to ensure the whole community and stakeholders are informed of our work and future cleanup plans.

Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.

Further, thanks to Superfund cleanups, communities are now using previously blighted properties for a wide range of purposes, including retail businesses, office space, public parks, residences, warehouses, and solar power generation. As of 2021, EPA has collected economic data on 650 Superfund sites. At these sites, there are 10,230 businesses operating on these sites, 246,000 people employed, an estimated $18.6 billion in income earned by employees, and $65.8 billion in sales generated by businesses.

With this Superfund NPL update, the Biden-Harris Administration is following through on its commitment to update the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once per year. The Superfund Program is also part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40 percent of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.

Background

The NPL includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

EPA proposes sites to the NPL based on a scientific determination of risks to people and the environment, consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, 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. EPA will add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.

For information about Superfund and the NPL, please visit https://www.epa.gov/superfund.

For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for NPL and proposed sites, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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 EPA Press Office:

EPA Updates Superfund National Priorities List to Clean Up Pollution, Address Public Health Risks, and Build a Better America

EPA Proposes to Add Brillo Landfill Site in Cayuga County, New York to Superfund List

Contact: Mike Basile, (716)-551-4410, basile.mike@epa.gov

               Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (March 17, 2022) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is adding 12 sites and proposing to add another five, including the Brillo Landfill, an inactive hazardous waste disposal facility in Victory, New York, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The federal NPL includes sites where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks.

“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”

"A proactive approach in addressing the lingering contamination at the former Brillo Landfill is needed to safeguard local wetlands and mitigate the potential impacts on private drinking water wells," said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "With this proposal, EPA is showing the Victory, New York community that historical contamination will not sit idle in their backyards and threaten their wetlands."

“I’m pleased to see the EPA propose adding the Brillo Landfill in Victory, New York to the Superfund National Priorities List,” said Representative John Katko. “This move would provide federal funding to address legacy pollution in Cayuga County and was made possible by investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I strongly supported. This cleanup effort would provide a long-term solution for our community and I’m glad to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law making a positive impact in Cayuga County.”

“New York State welcomes U.S. EPA’s proposed addition of the Brillo Landfill site and finalization of the Meeker Avenue Plume site to the Federal Superfund Program’s National Priorities List,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Working collaboratively with DEC, our federal partners will deploy the best available science and resources to protect the Greenpoint and East Williamsburg communities by addressing the soil, soil vapor, and groundwater plume in the vicinity of Meeker Avenue, and continue the critical work of preventing potential exposure to the public. DEC remains committed to partnering with the Biden Administration and EPA Administrator Regan to advance the cleanup of former industrial sites in Brooklyn, the town of Victory, and statewide to protect public health and the environment.” 

Now closed, the Brillo Landfill accepted a variety of industrial and sanitary wastes, as well as paint and wastewater treatment sludge. As a result, it is currently contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals such as lead and mercury in numerous waste disposal units and surrounding soil. Further NYSDEC investigations in 2021 found similar contamination and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the nearby wetlands, which border Little Sodus Creek.

EPA conducted an immediate removal action to protect public health in June 2018, removing approximately 2,000 intact drums and drum carcasses, including about 8,000 gallons of liquid waste and 782 tons of contaminated soil and other solid debris. However, the site still requires a long-term cleanup to address the remaining contamination. Groundwater sampling results from facility monitoring wells show site-related contaminants above federal and state groundwater standards. NYSDEC has tested private drinking water wells within a one-mile radius of the site and has not identified impacts to these wells at this time. NYSDEC continues to monitor the groundwater for potential effects on these wells.

Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.

Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.

Further, thanks to Superfund cleanups, communities are now using previously blighted properties for a wide range of purposes, including retail businesses, office space, public parks, residences, warehouses, and solar power generation. As of 2021, EPA has collected economic data on 650 Superfund sites. At these sites, there are 10,230 businesses operating on these sites, 246,000 people employed, an estimated $18.6 billion in income earned by employees, and $65.8 billion in sales generated by businesses.

With this Superfund NPL update, the Biden-Harris Administration is following through on its commitment to update the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once per year. The Superfund Program is also part of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40 percent of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.

Background

The NPL includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.

EPA proposes sites to the NPL based on a scientific determination of risks to people and the environment, consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, 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. EPA will add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.

For information about Superfund and the NPL, please visit https://www.epa.gov/superfund.

For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for NPL and proposed sites, please visit https://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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