Date: Fri 20-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

EPA-hazardous-Waste

Full Text:

EPA Explains Clean Up To Hazardous Waste Site Owners

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

HARTFORD - In an effort to explain how hazardous waste site problems are

resolved, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials Wednesday

described their clean-up efforts to the owners of Connecticut properties

holding hazardous wastes.

Representatives from EPA's Boston regional office held the session at the

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the state agency

which works with EPA in correcting hazardous waste problems.

In Newtown, EPA has listed six "active" hazardous waste sites and four other

hazardous waste sites in other categories.

The "active" sites are: The Bee Publishing Company at 5 Church Hill Road; Conn

Engineering Associates Corp. on Philo Curtis Road; Harvey Hubbell, Inc, on

Prospect Drive; Newtown landfill on Ethan Allen Drive; Newtown landfill on

Route 34; the former Noranda Metal Industries on Prospect Drive. The

"archived" and other sites are: Charles Bathchelder Company on Swamp Road; the

former EI Dupont Medical Products, Inc, on Pecks Lane; L&S Land Company at 113

South Main Street; and Rosborg, Inc, at 15 Commerce Road.

EPA stores information on hazardous waste sites nationwide in its

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

Information System (CERCLIS). At one point, the database held information on

approximately 40,000 potentially hazardous waste sites, but in 1995 EPA

decided to reduce the number of sites which are of real concern to the federal

government. Today, CIRCLIS contains information on approximately 16,000 sites

nationally, according to EPA.

In a move to resolve pending hazardous waste site problems, EPA has begun an

initiative known as Responsible Alternatives to Superfund Listing (RASL), said

Nancy Smith, an EPA hazardous waste specialist.

The RASL program seeks to eliminate duplication of efforts between EPA and DEP

and improve communications with the public, while narrowing the focus of the

federal hazardous waste cleanup program.

The EPA is seeking to eliminate the fear of "double jeopardy" in the minds of

some hazardous waste site owners who feel that waste cleanup enforcement

measures not employed by the federal government might be used by the state

government, Ms Smith said.

"We're trying to zero in on only those sites that are in need of federal

attention," she said.

"Presumably, this is going to be a very small subset of all these sites we

look at," she added.

Ms Smith said that Connecticut holds only 15 of the 100 Superfund hazardous

waste sites in New England. To people affected by hazardous waste problems,

the term "Superfund" often implies strict federal measures employed to resolve

serious hazardous waste problems. The federal Superfund was created in the

early 1980's for the cleanup or eradication of sites at which toxic waste has

been dumped.

Ms Smith explained that hazardous waste site owners may apply for what are

known as "comfort letters." Such comfort letters are written statements

provided by the EPA to property owners explaining the EPA's general intent in

dealing with a particular site.

These comfort letters, though, aren't releases from potential liability for

hazardous waste problems, she noted.

The letters are devices intended to make it easier for property owners to sell

their land which hold hazardous waste.

Such comfort letters typically state that EPA doesn't consider a property a

candidate for a Superfund listing, but reserves the right to do so if new

information or new adverse conditions arise there.

Elsie Patton, a DEP assistant commissioner, said DEP wants to work with people

who want to voluntarily clean up their sites. The state now has standard set

hazardous waste remediation regulations.

Property owners hire private Licensed Environmental Professionals (LEP) to

oversee cleanup work. These professionals report back to the DEP on the

cleanup progress as part of the owners' acquiring their comfort letters.

Newtown Health Director Mark Cooper attended the EPA session with James Smith,

the town's health District Board chairman.

Mr Cooper applauded EPA's making its hazardous waste files readily available

to the public. He said it's good the federal agency is seeking to cooperate

with state and local agencies in resolving hazardous waste problems. Mr Cooper

said the session was the first time he's seen EPA make their files so readily

available for review.