United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-97-089
April 1997
Archival of CERCLIS Sites
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields, A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived
contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse, EPA's Brownfields Initiative strategies include
funding pilot programs and other research efforts, clarifying liability issues, entering into partnerships, conducting
outreach activities, developing job training programs, and addressing environmental justice concerns.
OVERVIEW
As part of the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment
Initiative to encourage cities, States, and private
investors to clean up and redevelop contaminated or
formerly contaminated sites, EPA has removed
approximately 30.000 sites from the Superfund site
tracking system known as the Comprehensive
Environmental Response. Compensation and Liability
Information System (CERCLIS). These sites have
been placed in an archive database to retain historical
information collected by EPA's Superfund program.
IMPACT OF CERCLIS LISTING
All sites reported to EPA as potential Superftind
candidates are entered into CERCLIS. Historically,
EPA maintained information about these sites in the
CERCLIS inventor}- regardless of their status, in-
cluding sites where it was determined that no further
Federal Superfund interest was warranted. This prac-
tice led to unintended barriers to the redevelopment
of these properties specifically because sites listed in
CERCLIS are often automatically considered risky
by the lending industry, making it difficult for poten-
tial purchasers to secure loans to develop these prop-
erties. As a result, potential developers may shy
away from these properties simply because they are
in listed in CERCLIS.
ACTIONS
EPAhas identified and archived approximately 3 0,000
sites from CERCLIS that have been evaluated and
determined not to be appropriate for listing on
Superfund's National Priorities List (NPL). Sites
chosen for the archive include sites where, following
initial investigation, no contamination was found,
contamination was removed quickly without the site
needing to be placed on the NPL, or the contamina-
tion was not serious enough to warrant Federal action
so the site was referred to the State.
EPA transfers information on archived sites to the
States. The States coordinate with EPA to determine
if a site should be returned to CERCLIS because of
newly identified contamination problems. In July
1995, EPA sent a letter to 200 mayors with an
attached list of sites in their cities that EPA had
archived. EPA will continually review CERCLIS,
and plans to archive an additional 1,000 sites per year
over the next several years.
Archiving sites from CERCLIS is one step in freeing
them for redevelopment. EPA plans to take further
steps to encourage revitalization of these properties
by:
• Improving access to information on the
investigations conducted at these sites that resulted
in the decision that no further Federal Superfund
action was necessary; and
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* Identifying tools to remove liability barriers to CONTACTS
cleanup for economic redevelopment.
To obtain a list of archived sites, call the National
RESULTS Technical Information Service (NTIS) at (703) 487-
4650.
The Agency is beginning to see results from its efforts
at the Brownfields Pilot in Buffalo. NY. After For more information, call the RCRA/Supcrfund
removing aformer Republic Steel site from CERCLIS, Hotline at (800) 424-9346.
ATOM Corporation, partnering with Village Farms
of Buffalo, agreed to clean up a portion of the site in
1997 for dedicated use as a 25-acre hydroponic
tomato farm. This new business will employ ap-
proximately 300 workers in the immediate area.
Brownfields Fact Sheet Archival of CERCLIS Sites
April 1997 EPA 500-F-97-089
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