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             UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

                        WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
                       JAN 3 I
                        IS94
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT:

FROM:
TO:
     Fiscal Year  1994

     Elliott P. Laws
     Assistant Admini
     Office of Solid

     Steven A. Herma
     Assistant Administrator
     Office of Enforcement
     Regional Administrators, Regions  I-X
                                         OSWER Direction No. 9201.0 -02
erfund Program Priorities
                                          ency Response
     This memorandum provides the  FY  1994  National  Superfund
Program Priorities for Regions and Headquarters.  The Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER)  and  the  Office of
Enforcement (OE) have jointly developed a  fully integrated
strategic plan to implement these  priorities.   Thank you for your
efforts in achieving the FY 1993 priorities and for your
assistance in developing this year's  strategic  plan and
priorities.

     The reauthorization of the Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation and Liability Act  (CERCLA)  overarches our
FY 1994 commitments.  Good communication is key in  supporting
Reauthorization and our evolving program.   The  activities
required by the Superfund Administrative Improvements initiative
are also incorporated into our priorities.   There are nine major
Superfund priorities; they are listed below, but they are not
ranked:

     o  Accelerated Cleanup and Emergency  Response.  We will
        focus on the "worst sites  first" and continue to use our
        removal authority to quickly  mitigate immediate threats
        to human health and the environment.  Efforts to
        streamline and speed the entire Superfund process through
        the Superfund Accelerated  Cleanup  Model (SACM)  also
        support this goal.
                                                          Printed on Recycled Paper

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"Enforcement First."  In order to leverage the number of
cleanups we can undertake or oversee we must maximize PRP
participation.  The key areas of emphasis are:  early
initiation of PRP searches and negotiations to support
SACM and to maximize PRP response leads, particularly in
Remedial Design and Remedial Action.  This also includes
addressing cost-recovery actions that will expire under
the Statute of Limitations in March 1995; using
Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve costs owed and
compliance monitoring to ensure violations are
documented.

Enforcement Fairness.  While we maximize PRP
participation, we must provide equitable treatment to
potentially responsible parties, especially small volume
contributors.  We will emphasize early settlements with
small volume contributors and where practicable use
available allocation tools, alternative dispute
resolution, prospective purchaser agreements, and mixed-
funding .

Military Base Closure.  To restore military base closure
sites to productive economic use, we will continue to
assist the Department of Defense in site assessment
activities, selection of appropriate remedies, and
cleanup acceleration to facilitate transfers of Federal
properties to States and local communities.

NPL Construction Completions.  We will strive to meet our
goal of 265 construction completes by the end of FY 1994.

Contracts Management.  Good contract management is a
major measure of Superfund performance.  We are also
reevaluating the Superfund Long-Term Contracting Strategy
to assure the most efficient and cost effective
utilization of EPA and contractor resources.

Environmental Justice and Meaningful community
Involvement.  All citizens near Superfund sites must
receive comparable protection under CERCLA, regardless of
ethnicity or economic status.  Accordingly, all
communities must be guaranteed early and increasingly
effective ways to participate in the Superfund cleanup
process.

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     o  Enhancement of State Role and Development of Deferral
        Options.  We must continue to support the development of
        state and tribal capabilities and to expand state
        participation in cleanup and site screening activities.
        Similarly, deferral of NPL-caliber cleanup actions to
        state authorities can significantly assist us in
        attaining our "worst sites first" objective.

     o  Innovative Technologies. The development and use of
        innovative remediation techniques to improve the
        reliability, public acceptance, and cost effectiveness of
        Superfund cleanups should be fostered.

     Again, these priorities are not ranked.  Regions should
strive to address them all.  OE and OSWER are committed to using
our joint strength and program resources to achieve these FY 1994
National Superfund Program Priorities.  We stand ready to work
with you to achieve these goals.  We appreciate you and your
staff's tremendous support in making these program priorities a
reality.


cc:  Deputy Regional Administrators, Region I-X
     Assistant Regional Administrators for Management,
        Regions I-X
     Director, Waste Management Division
        Regions I, IV, V, VII
     Director, Emergency and Remedial Response Division
        Region II
     Director, Hazardous Waste Management Division
        Regions III, VI, VIII, IX
     Director, Hazardous Waste Division
        Region X
     Director, Environmental Services Division
        Regions I, VI, VII
     Superfund Branch Chiefs, Regions I-X
     Superfund Regional Council Branch Chiefs, Regions I-X
     Federal Facilities Leadership Council
     Walter W. Kovalick, Jr., OSWER
     Henry L. Longest II, OERR
     Bruce M. Diamond, OWPE
     Timothy Fields, Jr., SRO
     Robert Van Heuvelen, OE
     Bill White, OE

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