Superfund & Brownfields News Brief (HQ): EPA Solicits Public Input on Using Vapor Intrusion Threats as Criteria for Superfund Sites

CONTACT: 

Richard Yost

202-564-7827

202-564-4355

yost.richard@epa.gov

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 28, 2011

 

EPA Solicits Public Input on Using Vapor Intrusion Threats as Criteria for Superfund Sites

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it will accept public input on whether to include vapor intrusion threats as a component for including hazardous waste sites on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Superfund sites are the most polluted, complex, uncontrolled or abandoned sites in the United States and are eligible for federal cleanup funding to protect the people’s health.

 

Vapor intrusion describes the migration of volatile chemicals from contaminated groundwater or soil into the atmosphere, and is a particular concern if vapors enter an overlying building.

 

EPA is accepting public feedback on seven specific topics related to the potential revisions to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is used to evaluate sites for the Superfund list, for 75 days. The agency will consider information gathered during the comment period, as well as input from three public listening sessions before making a decision on whether to issue a proposed rulemaking to add a vapor intrusion component to the HRS.

 

EPA will host its first public listening session at its Arlington, Va. office on February 11, 2011.  Two additional listening sessions will be held in San Francisco, Calif. and Albuquerque, N.M.  EPA will post dates, times and addresses for the listening sessions on its Superfund webpage.  

 

More information on EPA listening sessions and the potential change to the HRS: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/hrsaddition.htm

 

More information on vapor intrusion: http://www.epa.gov/oswer/vaporintrusion/

 

More information on the HRS: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/npl_hrs/hrsint.htm

 

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