Toxic-Free Communities News

1 in 4 Americans still live within 4 miles of a Superfund site; all taxpayers foot the bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is misleading the public about the Bush administration's failure to clean up toxic waste sites and protect public health, according to a new analysis released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Sierra Club. Superfund cleanups have slowed by 50 percent since 2001, with costs for those cleanups shifting from polluters to average taxpayers, according to the report.

"Fewer sites are being cleaned up, communities are at risk, and polluters are off the hook," said U.S. PIRG Environmental Health Advocate Julie Wolk. "Instead of protecting public health by reinstating Superfund's polluter pays fees, adequately funding the program, and speeding up cleanups, the Bush administration is misleading the public and our elected officials."

As cleanups slow from an average of 87 completed per year in the late 1990s to an average of 40 completed per year during the Bush administration, communities across the country are living near toxic waste sites for increasingly longer periods. One in four people in America, including 10 million children, still lives within four miles of a Superfund site. Toxic chemicals at these sites are linked to birth defects, neurological defects and cancer.

The report, "The Truth About Toxic Waste Cleanups: How EPA is Misleading the Public About the Superfund Program," analyzes actual EPA statements and shows that the Bush administration has provided confusing, misleading, and even false information to reporters and the public. Examples include:

EPA claims: EPA continues to aggressively clean up sites and list new sites to the National Priority List.
The facts: The rate of completed cleanups has fallen by 50 percent during the Bush administration compared to 1997-2000, and site listings have slowed down as well. The Bush administration has added an average of 23 sites a year to the Superfund list compared with an average of 30 sites from 1993 to 2000, a drop of 23 percent.

EPA claims: Funding for the Superfund program has not decreased in the past few years.
The facts: Superfund funding has decreased by 25 percent from 2001-2004 compared to 1992 -2000. According to an October 2003 EPA Inspector General's report, 29 cleanup projects in 17 states were insufficiently funded in 2003

EPA claims: EPA remains committed to the polluter pays principle.
The facts: The Bush administration points out that polluters pay for cleanups at 70 percent of Superfund sites. While this is, and has always been, true, EPA fails to report that the 30 percent of cleanups where no responsible party can be found are now paid for entirely by taxpayers. Before the polluter pays fees expired and the trust fund was exhausted, regular taxpayers paid for only 18 percent of the cleanup of those orphan sites. The Bush administration opposes reinstatement of the fees.

EPA claims: It doesn't matter who pays to clean up Superfund toxic waste sites.
The facts: Superfund was founded on the principle that those most closely associated with the creation of toxic waste sites should bear the financial burden of cleaning them up.

"Without the polluter pays fees and the trust fund, EPA can't move ahead and protect the public when facing a reluctant polluter. Instead, Americans pay twice—first with our health and then with our taxes," said Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director. "There is a better way. The Bush administration should demand that polluters pay for toxic cleanups so that taxpayers aren't saddled with the bill."

The U.S. General Accounting Office reported that the polluter-funded Superfund trust fund ran out of money last fall. Without the trust fund as a dedicated funding source, the Superfund program competes with every other environmental program for scarce taxpayer funds.

"Communities shouldn't be exposed to toxic chemicals from languishing Superfund sites," said U.S. PIRG's Julie Wolk. "Instead of hiding the truth, the Bush administration should protect the public, clean up toxic waste sites and make polluters pay."

U.S. PIRG is the national lobby office for the state Public Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organizations.

The Sierra Club's members are 700,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Sierra Club is America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.