EPA Adds Five Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List and Proposes an Additional Seven

"Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding five hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). A separate action includes a proposal to add seven sites to the list.

“Since the creation of the Superfund program 35 years ago, EPA has been addressing the risk to human health and the environment as well as blight to the economy due to contamination left behind by owners and operators,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Superfund cleanups protect communities’ health, their environments and their economic wellbeing, including some of the country’s most vulnerable populations.”...
The following seven sites have been proposed for addition to the NPL:
• Iowa - PCE Former Dry Cleaner (dry cleaner) in Atlantic, Iowa;
• Illinois - Old American Zinc Plant (zinc smelter) in Fairmont City, Ill.;
• Indiana - West Vermont Drinking Water Contamination (ground water plume) in Indianapolis, Ind.;
• Louisiana - SBA Shipyard (barge construction and maintenance) in Jennings, La.; 
• Nebraska - Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Co. (former manufactured gas plant) in Norfolk, Neb.; 
• New Jersey - Former Kil-Tone Company (pesticide manufacturer) in Vineland, N.J.; and
• New Mexico - Lea and West Second Street (ground water plume) in Roswell, N.M..." 
Superfund sites

EPA Proposes to Remove Saccharin from Hazardous Waste Listings
"he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rule to remove saccharin and its salts from the agency’s lists of hazardous wastes, hazardous constituents and hazardous substances because it is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health. These lists are used to identify hazardous substances at sites across the country that need to be properly and safely managed. Saccharin is a white crystalline powder used as an artificial sweetener and can be found in diet soft drinks, chewing gum and juice.

Since the 1980s, saccharin was included in EPA’s lists of hazardous wastes, hazardous constituents, and hazardous substances because it was identified as potentially causing cancer in people. In the late 1990s, the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer re-evaluated the available scientific information on saccharin and its salts and concluded that saccharin and its salts are not potential human carcinogens. Because the scientific basis for remaining on EPA's lists no longer applies, the agency is issuing a proposed rule to remove saccharin and its salts from the list..."

U.S. EPA Makes Available Data on Compliance with Hazardous Waste, Air Regulations
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new information on EPA and state enforcement of hazardous waste and air regulations. In addition, the EPA posted data that allows the public, for the first time, to compare toxic releases with compliance data from facilities. This is part of EPA’s ongoing commitment to increase transparency and promote the public’s right to know by improving access to available data.

EPA made available new summary reports and data from 2004 through 2008 on EPA and state enforcement program performance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements. The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports. Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available..."

EPA Adds 11 Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List / EPA also proposes to add 10 additional sites
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding 11 new hazardous waste sites
that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Also, EPA is proposing to add 10 other sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.

To date, there have been 1,607 sites listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 336 sites have been deleted resulting in 1,271 final sites currently on the NPL, including
the 11 new final sites added in this rulemaking. With the proposal of the 10 new sites, there are 66 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 61 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. There are a total of 1,337 final and proposed sites.

Contaminants found at the final and proposed sites include antimony, arsenic, barium, benzo-a-anthracene, boron, cadmium, chloromethane, chromium, copper, dichloroethene (DCE), hexachlorobenze, lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), selenium, silver, tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethene (TCE), vinyl chloride, and zinc.

With all Superfund sites, EPA tries to identify and locate the parties potentially responsible for the contamination. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several
years before significant cleanup funding is required for these sites."

EPA Finalizes Amendment to the F019 Hazardous Waste Listing
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is amending the F019 hazardous waste listing to facilitate the use of aluminum in automobiles, light trucks and utility vehicles. This action will encourage motor vehicle manufacturers to use more aluminum parts, producing vehicles that are lighter. Lighter vehicles are capable of increased gas mileage and decreased exhaust air emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions.

F019 is one of EPA's F-code Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste listings, which include waste that is generated from common industrial and manufacturing processes. The amendment excludes from hazardous waste regulation F019 waste generated in the auto manufacturing industry provided the waste: 1) is not placed outside on the land prior to shipment to a landfill for disposal; and 2) is disposed of at an appropriately lined landfill. EPA has determined that these changes to the F019 listing are protective of human health and the environment..."