[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 145 (Friday, July 26, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39104-39107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18838]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 300

[FRL-5541-5]


Deletion of a Site from the National Priorities List for 
Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Delete the AMP Site in Glen Rock, PA, from 
the National Priorities List; Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') announces its 
intent to delete the AMP Site (``Site''), located in Glen Rock, 
Pennsylvania, from the National Priorities List (``NPL'') and requests 
public comment. The NPL, a list of sites EPA evaluates for priority 
cleanup of hazardous wastes, is found in Appendix B of the National Oil 
and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR 
part 300, Appendix B. EPA promulgated the NCP pursuant to section 105 
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act of 1980 (``CERCLA'').
    EPA proposes this deletion under the terms of a policy published in 
the Federal Register on March 20, 1995. In this policy EPA announced 
that, consistent with NCP criteria for deletion of sites from the NPL, 
the Agency would delete sites if corrective action was proceeding 
pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (``RCRA''). EPA, 
in consultation with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has determined 
that this deferral to RCRA authorities is appropriate.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before August 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be mailed to Frank Vavra, Remedial Project 
Manager, Superfund Branch--3HW22, 841 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania 19107.
    The Deletion Docket is available for inspection at the following 
locations and times: 1) U.S. EPA Region III, Hazardous Waste Management 
Division, 841 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. during Monday through Friday; 2) Martin Library, 159 East Market 
Street, York, PA, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 
from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 
on Saturdays during the summer (contact Ms. Rebecca Shives, Head of 
Reference).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the AMP 
Site, contact Frank Vavra at the above address or phone 215-566-3221.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

I. Introduction

    The Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') Region III announces 
its intent to delete the AMP Site from the National Priorities List 
(``NPL''), 40 CFR part 300, and requests comments on this deletion. EPA 
will accept comments on the deletion of this Site for thirty days after 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    The NPL is a list of sites that EPA evaluates for priority cleanup 
under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
Liability Act (``CERCLA''), 42 U.S.C. 9601, et seq.  Listing of a site 
on the NPL does not, itself, create, alter or revoke any individual 
rights or obligations under CERCLA, or any other law. The NPL is 
designed primarily for information purposes and to assist Agency 
management. Sites on the NPL may be remediated using the Hazardous 
Substances Superfund (``Superfund'' or ``Fund'') established by section 
9507 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Use of this fund for cleanup 
of hazardous substances is governed by section 111 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 
9611, and implementing regulations.

[[Page 39105]]

    As a general matter, deletion of the AMP Site from the NPL will 
clarify that EPA Region III's Office of Resource Conservation and 
Recovery Act (``RCRA'') Programs will have primary responsibility for 
ensuring that the hazardous wastes released at the Site are 
appropriately remediated. Notwithstanding any such deletion of this 
Site from the NPL, in the event that conditions at this Site warrant 
additional remedial corrective action, this Site remains eligible for 
Fund-financed remedial action. Pursuant to Sec. 300.425(e)(3) of the 
NCP, 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3): ``All releases deleted from the NPL are 
eligible for further Fund-financed remedial actions should future 
conditions warrant such action. Whenever there is a significant release 
from a site deleted from the NPL, the site shall be restored to the NPL 
without application of the [Hazard Ranking System].'' Therefore, 
deletion of this, or any other, site from the NPL does not preclude 
eligibility for subsequent Fund-financed remedial action if future 
conditions warrant such action.
    Section II of this notice summarizes the criteria for deleting 
sites from the NPL. Section III summarizes the procedural steps EPA 
takes prior to deleting a site from the NPL. Section IV discusses the 
AMP Site and explains how the AMP Site meets the deletion criteria.

II. NPL Deletion Criteria

    The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency 
Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR part 300, establishes the criteria the Agency 
uses to delete sites from the NPL. Section 300.425(e) of the NCP, 40 
CFR 300.425(e), provides that sites may be deleted from the NPL where 
no further response is appropriate. In making a determination to delete 
a site from the NPL, EPA shall consider, in consultation with the 
appropriate state, whether the following criteria have been met:

(i) Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all 
appropriate response actions required;
(ii) All appropriate Fund-financed responses under CERCLA have been 
implemented and no further action by responsible parties is 
appropriate; or
(iii) The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses no 
significant threat to public health or the environment and, therefore, 
taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.

    Consistent with Sec. 300.425(e) of the NCP, 40 CFR 300.425(e), EPA 
proposes deletion of the AMP Site because, as explained further below, 
no further CERCLA response is appropriate. This determination is based 
on a new policy that EPA has adopted for implementation of the NPL 
deletion criteria. This new policy, entitled ``The National Priorities 
List for Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites; Deletion Policy for 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facilities'', was published in 
the Federal Register on March 20, 1995 (60 FR 14641). This new policy 
sets forth the following criteria and their general application for 
deleting RCRA facilities from the NPL:

1. If evaluated under EPA's current RCRA/NPL deferral policy 1, 
the site would be eligible for deferral from listing on the NPL;
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    \1\ The term ``current RCRA/NPL deferral policy'' refers to the 
policy in effect at the time the deletion decision is made. As past 
Federal Register notices demonstrate, the RCRA/NCP deferral policy 
has changed, and may continue to change based upon the Agency's 
continued evaluation of how best to implement the statutory 
authority of RCRA and CERCLA.
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2. The CERCLA site is currently being addressed by RCRA corrective 
action authorities under an existing enforceable order or permit 
containing corrective action provisions;
3. Response under RCRA is progressing adequately; and
4. Deletion would not disrupt an ongoing CERCLA action.
    Under this new policy, two types of sites may be eligible for 
deletion: (1) Sites that would be eligible for deferral under current 
deferral criteria, but were not deferred because the deferral policy at 
the time of listing was different; and (2) sites that were not eligible 
for deferral when listed, but now may be eligible because of changed 
conditions at the site (e.g., the site is now in compliance with a 
corrective action order). For facilities within the second category, 
the Agency reviews the original listing rationale together with current 
information to ascertain whether conditions at the site have changed 
sufficiently to warrant deletion from the NPL.

III. Deletion Procedures

    Prior to deleting a site from the NPL, 40 CFR 300.425(e) requires 
that EPA provide the appropriate state with thirty (30) working days to 
review the proposed notice of intent to delete. After providing the 
appropriate state authorities with such opportunity for review, EPA 
must next provide the public with a minimum of thirty (30) calendar 
days to provide comments to the appropriate EPA Region. Prior to 
deleting a site from the NPL, EPA must receive concurrence from the 
appropriate state authorities. Additionally, EPA must respond to each 
significant comment and any significant new data submitted during the 
public comment period. A deletion occurs when the Regional 
Administrator places a notice of final deletion in the Federal 
Register. Generally, the NPL will reflect deletion in the final update 
following deletion. After the notice of final deletion is published, 
EPA is required to place the final deletion package in a local 
information repository. As mentioned in Section I (Introduction) of 
this document, 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3) states that deletion of a site from 
the NPL does not preclude eligibility for future Fund-financed response 
actions.
    With respect to this notice of intent to delete, EPA has provided 
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection 
(``PADEP'') with a thirty (30) working day period for review and 
comment. PADEP has provided EPA Region III with its concurrence on this 
notice of intent to delete. Before making the final decision as to 
whether to delete the AMP Site from the NPL, EPA Region III will 
respond to each significant comment and any significant new data 
submitted during the public comment period in a Responsiveness Summary. 
In addition to this notice of intent to delete, EPA Region III has 
published a notice of availability of this notice of intent to delete 
in a major local newspaper and has placed copies of documents 
supporting this notice in an information repository at or near the AMP 
Site. After the public comment period has closed, copies of the 
Responsiveness Summary will be made available to interested parties by 
the EPA Region III. In the event that EPA issues a notice of final 
deletion for the AMP Site, EPA Region III will place the final deletion 
package in the local repository.

IV. Basis for Intended Site Deletion

    The following summary provides the EPA's rationale for the 
intention to delete the AMP Site (``Site'') from the NPL.

A. Site Background

    The Site, which is owned and operated by AMP, Incorporated 
(``AMP''), consists of approximately twenty (20) acres and is located 
in southern York County in central Pennsylvania, approximately five 
miles north of the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, in the City of Glen 
Rock. AMP's Materials Development Laboratory (``MDL'') facility is 
located on the Site. The MDL facility is a combined

[[Page 39106]]

manufacturing and research operation which has been active since the 
late 1950s. The facility consists of two buildings: the Materials 
Development Lab and the Plastics Building.
    In the early 1980s, workers at the AMP facility complained about 
the taste of the drinking water. In 1984, AMP discovered that a backup 
supply well in an adjacent trailer park was contaminated with volatile 
organic compounds (``VOCs''). AMP subsequently installed monitoring 
wells on the AMP property and had a hydrogeological assessment of the 
extent and concentration of contamination performed.
    Results of the 1984 groundwater sampling indicated that VOCs were 
present in the subsurface soils and groundwater beneath parts of the 
MDL facility. Total VOC concentrations in the groundwater samples from 
Site wells ranged from 12,191 parts per billion (``ppb'') to non-
detectable in several monitoring wells. The two compounds which were 
found to exist in highest concentrations in the groundwater at the Site 
were 1,1,1-trichloroethane (``1,1,1-TCA'') and 1,1,2-
trichloroethane(``1,1,2-TCA''). Trichloroethylene (``TCE''), 
tetrachloroethylene (``PCE'') and their decay products were detected in 
lesser amounts in groundwater at the Site.
    EPA proposed the inclusion of the AMP Site on the NPL on June 24, 
1988 (53 FR 23988). EPA listed the AMP Site on the NPL on October 4, 
1989 (54 FR 41015) pursuant to section 105(a)(8)(b) of CERCLA, 42 
U.S.C. 9605(a)(8)(B). At that time, AMP was not addressing the 
contamination at the Site pursuant to RCRA corrective action 
authorities and EPA determined that the NPL listing was required to 
protect human health and the environment.
    Pursuant to section 3008(h) of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. 6928(h), EPA and AMP 
entered into an Administrative Consent Order (``ACO'') on January 4, 
1989. Under the terms of this ACO, AMP completed a RCRA Facility 
Investigation (``RFI'') and a Corrective Measures Study (``CMS''). 
Subsequent to approving this CMS, EPA prepared a Draft RCRA Record of 
Decision (``ROD''), which set forth Corrective Measure Alternative #4 
(``CMA #4'') as EPA's preferred corrective measure alternative for this 
Site. CMA #4 includes pumping and treating the groundwater, operating 
an infiltration trench, and monitoring groundwater and surface water at 
the Site.
    A public notice soliciting public comment on the Draft RCRA ROD 
appeared in the York Daily Record during the week of July 30th--August 
3rd, 1990, and was announced on WSBA radio in York, Pennsylvania, on 
August 14th and 15th. No public comments were received by EPA regarding 
the remedy selection. On January 22, 1991, EPA issued a final ROD 
2 for remediation at the Site. The Regional Administrator, EPA 
Region III, made a final determination selecting CMA #4 as the 
corrective measure to be implemented by AMP.
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    \2\ PADEP has informed EPA Region III that representatives of 
PADEP have not reviewed, and PADEP has not concurred on, the 
corrective measure alternative selected by this RCRA ROD. 
Additionally, PADEP has requested that EPA Region III state that 
this RCRA ROD did not address statutory or regulatory requirements 
promulgated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which may be 
applicable or relevant and appropriate to conditions present at the 
AMP Site at the time of the ROD's issuance. Neither RCRA statutory 
provisions nor the regulatory requirements promulgated pursuant to 
RCRA require that: (1) EPA obtain concurrence from any state 
representatives prior to issuing a RCRA ROD; or (2) such state 
promulgated requirements be considered prior to selecting a RCRA 
corrective measure alternative.
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    On January 22, 1991, EPA and AMP entered into an ACO to perform 
Corrective Measure Implementation (``CMI'') of CMA #4. Corrective 
action at the Site is currently being performed pursuant to this ACO. 
By letter dated September 10, 1991, EPA conditionally approved the 
Final CMI Report. The conditions of such approval have been satisfied 
and, therefore, EPA has approved this Final CMI Report. In accordance 
with the RCRA CMI ACO, such approval indicated EPA's determination (as 
of that time) that the constructed project is consistent with the 
design specifications and that CMA #4 is progressing towards the clean-
up goals set forth in the RCRA ROD.
    In accordance with the Final CMI Report, eight recovery wells are 
used on the Site to pump and treat groundwater containing VOCs. The 
captured groundwater is treated by passing it through a series of two 
air stripping towers. Air emission control devices have been installed 
on the air stripping towers. The treated water is discharged to a small 
pond to the southeast of the Site known as Larkin Pond. Groundwater 
samples and one surface water sample are being collected on and off-
site on a quarterly basis.
    In accordance with section VI.C. of the RCRA CMI ACO, AMP is 
required to submit a Draft Corrective Measure Two Year Assessment 
Report every two years beginning two years from the effective date of 
the ACO. The report submitted in January 1995 reflects that final 
groundwater remediation goals, as set forth in the RCRA ROD, have not 
yet been met, but progress towards such goal has been attained. 
Implementation of the approved CMA will continue as planned until the 
VOC concentrations in the subsurface are in compliance with the clean-
up criteria set forth in the RCRA ROD.
    Additional details on the corrective actions being implemented 
under RCRA are available in the Superfund Closeout Report issued on 
December 14, 1995, the Administrative Record for this Site deletion, 
and in the RCRA Administrative Record for the AMP Record of Decision.

B. Documentation that the AMP Site Meets RCRA Deferral Criteria Set 
Forth in EPA's March 20, 1995 Policy

1. If evaluated under EPA's current RCRA/NPL deferral policy, the Site 
would be eligible for deferral from listing on the NPL.

    At the time of the NPL listing, the Site posed a threat to human 
health and the environment that was not being addressed under either 
CERCLA or RCRA corrective action authorities. At that time, EPA 
determined that the most expeditious way to address the contamination 
at the Site was through the use of CERCLA authorities. Since that 
determination, AMP has entered into a RCRA RFI/CMS ACO and a RCRA CMI 
ACO and has been addressing all of the contamination at the Site 
pursuant to section 3008(h) of RCRA. AMP fulfilled the conditions of 
the RCRA RFI/CMS ACO and is currently in compliance with the RCRA CMI 
ACO. Consequently, if this Site were evaluated for NPL listing under 
the current conditions, the Site would qualify for deferral to RCRA.

2. The CERCLA Site is currently being addressed by RCRA corrective 
action authorities under an existing enforceable order or permit 
containing corrective action provisions.

    As described previously, EPA and AMP entered into a RCRA RFI/CMS 
ACO, pursuant to section 3008(h) of RCRA, on January 4, 1989. Under the 
terms of that ACO, AMP was required to complete an on-site and off-site 
investigation of the nature and extent of the release of hazardous 
wastes from the Site and to conduct a study to evaluate various cleanup 
alternatives. AMP subsequently fulfilled the conditions of this ACO.
    As also described previously, EPA and AMP entered into a RCRA CMI 
ACO, pursuant to section 3008(h) of RCRA, on January 22, 1991. This 
RCRA CMI ACO required AMP to implement the selected corrective action 
remedy set forth in EPA's ROD as CMA #4. In September 1991, pursuant to 
the 1991

[[Page 39107]]

RCRA CMI ACO, EPA approved the Final CMI Report. AMP is continuing to 
implement the selected remedy, which includes pumping and treating 
groundwater, operating an infiltration trench, and monitoring 
groundwater and surface water. The 1991 RCRA CMI ACO will remain in 
effect until such time when EPA determines that the terms of this order 
have been satisfied. AMP has been in compliance with the RCRA CMI ACO. 
All known groundwater contamination is being addressed through EPA's 
exercise of its corrective action authorities pursuant to RCRA.

3. Response under RCRA is progressing adequately.

    Corrective action is progressing satisfactorily under the RCRA CMI 
ACO, as described above. There has been no history of protracted 
negotiations due to lack of cooperation. See 60 FR 14642, 14643 (March 
20, 1995).

4. Deletion would not disrupt an ongoing CERCLA action.

    Other than completing a CERCLA Site Assessment and listing the Site 
on the NPL, no response action has taken place pursuant to CERCLA. 
Based upon the continued compliance with the RCRA CMI ACO, no CERCLA 
action is planned for the future.
    EPA has received the following concurrence from PADEP: ``The 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania concurs in the decision to delete the site 
from the NPL, but reserves all of its rights, abilities and authorities 
to address contamination at the site and to pursue responsible parties 
regarding this contamination.''
    EPA concludes that this Site meets the criteria under the new NPL 
deletion policy and announces its intention to delete the Site from the 
NPL.

    Dated: July 9, 1996.
Thomas Maslany,
Acting Regional Administrator, U.S. EPA Region III.
[FR Doc. 96-18838 Filed 7-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P