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Unhid States Off ice of Publication 9230.0-OSFSg
Environmental Protection Solid Waste and September 1992
Agency Emergency Response
&ER& Superfund Fact Sheet:
The Removal Program
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Hazardous Site Control Division (5203G)
Incidents involving the release or threatened release of hazardous substances
that endanger human health or the environment may occur anywhere at any
time. Such incidents may include:
• Illegal disposal of toxic materials or hazardous waste;
* Improper handling or disposal of hazardous substances at landfills, industrial
areas, etc.;
• Transportation accidents (spills of hazardous substances when a truck or
train overturns); and
• Chemical fires (discharges of hazardous substances into the air or water
during a fire).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Emergency Re-
sponse Program was created to respond to these types of multi-media hazard-
ous substance accidents.
What Is a removal Under Superfund, EPA may respond to releases or threats of releases of hazard-
action? ous substances by starting a removal action. A removal action is a short-term
response intended to stabilize or clean up an incident or site that poses a threat
to public health or welfare. These actions may include:
• Constructing a fence, posting warning signs, or taking other security mea-
sures to restrict access of people or animals to a site;
• Removing hazardous substances and disposing of them off site;
• Providing alternate water supplies to local residents when drinking water has
become contaminated; and
• In rare circumstances, temporarily relocating area residents.
Although there are exceptions, removal actions generally last no longer than 12
months and cost no more than $2 million. Because removal actions are short-
term responses to immediate threats, they generally do not deal with problems
such as area-wide remediation of contaminated ground water, which require
long-term corrective actions. For such problems, the On-Scene Coordinator
will refer the site to EPA's Remedial Response Program for further investiga-
tion and assessment. (The On-Scene Coordinator is responsible for evaluating
removal situations and organizing removal activities.)
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Remedial actions are longer-term activities that stop or substantially reduce
releases or prevent possible releases of hazardous substances that are serious
but not immediately life-threatening. Remedial actions can be undertaken only
at sites on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL), which identifies and ranks the
most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. EPA often
conducts both removal and remedial actions at NPL sites. Removal actions
may be required if an immediate threat is discovered during remedial work.
Removal actions, of course, must contribute to the efficient performance of any
long-term remedial action.
How does the
removal program
work?
The National Contingency Plan (NCP), the Federal regulation that guides the
Emergency Response program under Superfund and the Oil Pollution Act,
outlines the roles and responsibilities of each agency involved in responding to
actual or potential releases of hazardous substances and oil spills. The U.S.
Coast Guard has primary responsibility for responding to releases or spills in or
on coastal and other navigable waters, and EPA has primary responsibility for
responding to releases on land.
The first step toward a removal action is discovering a release of hazardous
substances that threatens public health or the environment. States, communi-
ties, industries, or individuals either can notify EPA of a release directly or call
the National Response Center's (NRC) 24-hour telephone number, 1-800-424-8802.
The NRC notifies the On-Scene Coordinator when it learns of a release. EPA's
On-Scene Coordinator evaluates the situation; based upon this evaluation, EPA
may use Superfund money to clean up the incident if those responsible cannot
or will not conduct the cleanup, or if State or local officials are unable to
respond. Other government agencies may be called upon for assistance when
necessary, depending upon the nature and extent of the release.
Who pays for
removal actions?
EPA always tries to get the responsible parties to pay at least some of the clean-
up costs for hazardous substance releases. In addition to past and present site
owners or operators, those responsible may include people who have generated,
transported, stored, or disposed of hazardous substances. The remaining costs
may be paid by State or county response teams with their own funds, or by
EPA using Superfund money. When Superfund money is used, EPA may take
legal action to force those responsible to reimburse the Federal government for
the clean-up costs.
How is the public
involved in removal
actions?
Superfund makes every effort to ensure open, two-way communication with the
public and to involve the public in the cleanup decision-making process.
When a removal action is undertaken in a community, a Superfund spokesper-
son will be appointed to inform the community about the release and about
actions taken. The spokesperson also will respond to inquiries and will contact
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individuals who are immediately affected by the release, as well as State and
local officials.
Because a removal action may be a response to an emergency, or may take only
a short time to complete, community relations activities may need to be limited.
Nevertheless, EPA regulations provide for as much community involvement as
is feasible. The extent of public involvement in removal actions depends on
whether the removal action is expected to begin within six months of the site
inspection.
A removal expected to begin within six months of the site inspection and to be
completed in less than 120 days requires that the On-Scene Coordinator protect
public health and property until the immediate threat is over. This is called a
"time critical" removal. This urgency means there may be little time to involve
citizens in clean-up decisions. In such cases, EPA focuses on informing the
public about the removal action(s) and its effects on the community. EPA must
make an administrative record available to the public. The administrative
record contains the information that the lead agency used to decide that the
removal action was necessary. The public may comment on the administrative
record for at least 30 days after its issuance. The lead agency responds in
writing to significant comments, and these responses also become part of the
administrative record.
In the case of another type of "time critical" removal, in which the action is
expected to begin within 6 months of the site inspection and is projected to take
longer than 120 days, the lead agency must prepare a Community Relations
Plan (CRP) and establish at least one information repository. The CRP outlines
exactly how the lead agency will ensure that local residents can express their
opinions and concerns about the site and how they will be kept informed of all
clean-up actions at the site. The lead agency uses information gathered in
interviews with residents, local officials, and public interest groups to prepare
its CRP. The information repository, often called a site file, usually is located
in a public building such as a school, library, or town hall. Typically, a site file
includes press releases, fact sheets, and technical reports about lead agency
activities and a site's contamination problem(s). Confidential or sensitive in-
formation may be withheld if public disclosure could hinder judicial actions to
force responsible parties to pay clean-up costs. Otherwise, the public has a
right to know everything about a site.
When a removal is expected to begin more than 6 months after the site inspec-
tion, the lead agency must create a CRP and establish a site file before removal
activities begin. The lead agency also must publish in a major loca'. newspaper
where and when the public can examine the agency's analysis of a site's engi-
neering costs and the related alternatives. The public may comment on this
analysis for at least 30 days; the lead agency will extend this comment period
by 15 days if a timely request is made. The lead agency also prepares written
comments to significant responses from the public, placing these comments in
the site file.
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EPA is developing the Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM) to make hazardous waste
cleanups more timely and efficient. This will be accomplished through more focus on the front end of
the process and better integration of all Superfund program components. The approach involves:
• A continuous process for assessing site-specific conditions and the need for action.
• Cross-program coordination of response planning.
• Prompt risk reduction through early action (removal or remedial).
• Appropriate cleanup of long-term environmental problems.
SACM will operate within the existing statutory and regulatory structure. As SACM develops, there
may be modification of certain policies noted in this fact sheet. However, overall priorities will remain
the same: deal with the worst problems first; aggressively pursue enforcement opportunities; and
involve the public in every phase of the process.
Regional Superfund Community Relations Offices
Region 1
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 1 (RPA-74)
#1 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02203
(617)565-3425
Region 2
Community Relations Branch
External Programs Division
EPA Region 2 (2-EPD)
26 Federal Plaza
New York. NY 10278
(212) 264-7054
Region 3
Superfund Community Relations
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 3 (3EA21)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9905
Region 4
Superfund Community Relations
Waste Management Division
EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2643
Region 5
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 5
Metcalfe Federal Bldg.
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-2073
Region 6
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste MgmL Division
EPA Region 6 (6H-SS)
1445 Ross Avenue
12th Floor, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75270
(214)655-2240
Region 7
Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City , KS 66101
(913)551-7003
Region 8
Community Relations Branch
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 8 (80EA)
1 Denver Place
999 18th Street, Suite 1300
Denver, CO 80202
(303)294-1144
Region 9
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste MgmL Division
EPA Region 9 (T-1-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 744-2178
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Region 10
Community Relations Section
Hazardous Waste Division
EPA Region 10 (HW117)
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-6901
v>EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (5203G)
Washington, DC 20460
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