Summary: In seeking to reauthorize the Superfund program, which could cost as much as $75 million to clean up thousands of seriously contaminated sites, the legislation now before Congress makes significant strides. The bill includes provisions to improve the pace and consistency of cleanups, involve the public earlier and to a greater extent, and reduce transaction costs. GAO believes, however, the bill could do more to encourage the efficient and effective use of Superfund resources. In particular, Congress may want to consider amending the Superfund legislation to underscore the importance of ranking hazardous waste sites so that resources are targeted to the worst sites first. It could also encourage cost-recovery efforts by authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to accrue interest on its expenditures earlier in the process and to apply market rates and by requiring EPA to define more broadly which costs are recoverable. GAO also believes that more information is needed to determine the cost implications of key provisions in the bill--those transferring to the federal government responsibility for the cost of orphan shares and operation and maintenance at Superfund sites.
