EPA report catalogs Region III cleanups
NEWSGOVERNMENT
Trying to link vendors of innovative cleanup technology with contaminated sites, EPA's Technology Innovation Office (TIO) released a report on March 15 summarizing opportunities for using such technology in the middle Atlantic states. It catalogs the cleanup sites in EPA Region III and identifies those that EPA sees as the best opportunities for innovative technology. The report provides vendors with leads on cleanup sites, said TIO's Dan Powell. It lists federal and state cleanups in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. As a means of identifying the best market opportunities for innovative technology, the report includes a table for each state listing sites for which investigations have not been completed or no cleanup technology has been determined TIO found that underground storage tank cleanups present the greatest opportunity in terms of numbers (3119), followed by federal facility sites (742), National Priorities List (Superfund) sites (164), and state cleanup sites (52). Corrective actions required under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act were fewest, the report says. TIO expects to publish a report for Region IV and a national report in June, said Powell. The national report will not be as detailed as the regional reports, however. Reports for the other regions are not currently planned, but if the report receives significant attention by business, TIO may consider issuing reports for other regions, he added. Powell admitted that there has been little feedback concerning business demand for the reports. According to Sam Fogel, who runs a bioremediation services firm near Boston, EPA has not been a noteworthy source for cleanup business leads. "I have a sense [the reports] are not too terribly worthwhile," he said. The report (PB96-121637) can be purchased from the National Technical Information Service. —DANIEL SHANNON
Environmental legislation deadlocked as congressional, presidential election nears When the newly elected Republican Congress swept into Washington in 1995, promising to reform the way government does business, critics predicted a rollback of environmental regulations. The record shows, though, that Congress has fallen short of its goal to overhaul government's role in environmental protection. Indeed, a deadlock of sorts has been reached in the 104th Congress. Although revisions to major
"The GOP has taken hits on environmental legislation and I don't think [it wants] to enter an election year with another bloody nose." — Vanessa Leiby, Associcition of State Drinking Water Administrators environmental statutes—including the Clean Water Act (CWA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and Superfund—were aggressively promoted, especially in the House, serious efforts to revamp these programs have stalled. For instance, the highly publicized Endangered Species Act (ESA) reform never made it to the House or Senate floor, despite hearings in Washington and around the country. Even the much-touted regulatory reform bill sponsored by presidential contender Sen Robert Dole (RKans ) foundered in the Senate Still, much can happen in the session's final months as the U.S. elections approach, and congressional interest in the Safe Drinking Water Act, Superfund, and the Coastal Zone Management Act once again appears to be on the upswing. The Republican majority was more successful with environ-
mental legislation when it narrowed its scope, according to industry lobbyists. Minor Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments—dropping the employer trip reduction requirement and softening state auto inspection and maintenance plans—cleared both bodies and were signed into law, for instance. And while Republicans could not move ESA, they were successful in instituting a moratorium on endangered species listings environmentalists' strong objections And President Clinton signed HR 2036 the "RCRA rifle shot " a narrow Resource Conservation and Recovery Act revision fliat e Y p m p t s
hazardous discharppH into surfarp imnnnndand i n j p r t p H into wells if the wastes are covered under other laws Also narrow lefisla tion to prn ide remilatory rplief for small businesses became law as part of legislation to raise the government debt ceiling. The majority has articulated some much-needed policy changes long advocated by regulated industries, said John Cohen, risk policy director for the National Association of Manufacturers. These include better use of science, prioritizing problems based on risk, and providing increased compliance flexibility. "I believe there is a general consensus in Congress and also in the general public on this If you ask most people if they think use these tools better they would agree that we could " Cohen said Congress has laid the groundwork for changes in environmental laws, including Superfund and legislation targeting an overhaul of the nation's regulatory process, according to Mort Mullins, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Chemical Manufacturers Association. "I think the dialogue on risk-based public policy is already paying off in terms of regulatory agency actions," Mullins said. Others agreed. EPA has executed several administrative steps to
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increase flexibility under the CAA, Superfund, and the SDWA, explained Tom Curtis, director of natural resources for the National Governors' Association. However "incremental" these changes might be, many environmentalists abhor the policies advanced by the GOP In particular, they cite the salvage logging rider that removes many logging restrictions and is "causing untold damage to our forests," according to Debbie Sease, legislative affairs director for the Sierra Club. "This has been by far the most antienvironment Congress in history," said Greg Wetstone, legislative director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Congress has made across-theboard cuts in research programs at agencies including EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Biological Service. This drop in research funding could limit the country's ability to continue basic scientific research many scientists claim And although no major environmental bills have landed on Clinton's desk legislation to curtail green programs has passed the House or the The GOP's charge to revamp environmental laws has also been slowed by dissension within Republican ranks. GOP efforts to incorporate into EPA's fiscal year 1996 funding bill directives that would have restricted the agency's ability to implement environmental statutes was tempered by a group of Republican moderates led by Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.). With five months remaining before Congress adjourns for the election, the GOP may be searching for a legislative achievement to shore up its poor image on environmental legislation. Capitol Hill committee staffers are optimistic that Congress can send an SDWA reauthorization bill to Clinton. The Senate unanimously approved an SDWA rewrite (S 1316) last fall and House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-Va) is working with Democrats on a draft that includes some of the provisions in the Senate-passed version The push for the SDWA legislation comes from the top: "Speaker
Gingrich wants to get this bill to the president's desk," says Charles Ingebretson, chief counsel of the Commerce Committee. Work on reauthorizing Superfund has also picked up steam, and committee staffers in the House and the Senate say they are confident a Superfund bill will reach Clinton's desk before the fall adjournment. But the route to Superfund reform is fraught with contention. "Today we are optimistic that a bill will be passed," says Julie Rochman, assistant vice president of the Alliance of American Insurers But another busilobbyist is doubtful: "I don't have high hopes for Superfund reform " The environmental community, however, is particularly displeased with the Republican SDWA and Superfund bills. NRDC's Wetstone labeled the House's SDWA draft "extremist," and the Environmental Defense
Fund's Karen Florini called the Senate Superfund bill a "belated Christmas present to the chemical, insurance, and mining industries." Environmentalists also dispute the view held by many industry lobbyists that the GOP freshmen have learned to curb their zeal on the environment front. The Congress returned from January recess "hell-bent" on passing legislation that did not make it the year before Sease said But observers note that there are many reasons the Republicans may be more cautious now. "The GOP has taken a number of hits on environmental legislation in the past and I don't think they have an interest in entering an election year with another bloody nose on environmental issues," says Vanessa Leiby, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators. CATHERINE M. COONEY
EPA 1997 $7 billion budget proposed despite current year funding impasse In mid-March, the Clinton administration proposed a $7.03 billion EPA budget for fiscal year 1997, a significant increase over the $5.7 billion with which the agency has operated so far this year under several stopgap continuing resolutions. Next year's spending proposal may matter little, considering the difficulty this Congress and the administration have had in agreeing on environmental funding for 1996. "Interesting circumstances" is how EPA Administrator Carol Browner described proposing a 1997 budget without a 1996 budget in place. When announcing the proposal March 19, she described the difficulty of running the agency with a small and uncertain appropriation six months into the budget year. She reacted cautiously when asked about a congressional proposal then before the House-Senate conference committee to raise EPA 1996 funding to $6 44 billion She called the proposal "a step in the right direction" but reserved further comment warning that several riders to the bill could still doom it to a presidential veto
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like the appropriation bills that preceded it. However, on March 29 as Congress left for the spring recess, the conference committee said it was unable to reach agreement on a 1996 budget. Instead the committee passed its 12th continuing resolution for this 1996 budget year to temporarily fund EPA and other parts of the federal government until April 24 when Congress returns. The 1997 proposal is slightly less than Clinton's 1996 request of $7.4 billion. Most funding is devoted to operating programs at $3.4 billion, Superfund at $1.4 billion, and water-related infrastructure revolving funds at $2.1 billion. The Office of Research and Development would receive $537.6 million that would be directed to its high-priority research areas of drinking water, particulate matter in air environmental monitoring ecological research benefit-cost research and endocrine disrupters according to ORD head Robert Huggett speaking before a House Science subcommittee at the time of the budget's release JFFF JOHNSON
