Superfund: Information Regarding EPA's Cleanup Decision Process on the
Hudson River Site (Letter Report, 09/28/2000, GAO/RCED-00-193).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to clean up the Hudson
River, focusing on: (1) the computer models EPA and General Electric
(GE) are using in their assessments and related scientific and technical
issues; and (2) the processes EPA is using to obtain and respond to
scientific and technical comments on its modeling and other assessment
studies.

GAO noted that: (1) the computer models that EPA and GE have developed
to predict polychlorinated biphenyls levels in the Hudson River are
generally similar in structure and have produced generally comparable
outcomes; (2) for example, both models indicate that PCB levels in the
Hudson River will eventually decline if no cleanup action is taken; (3)
however, the models differ in certain technical respects, particularly
concerning the level of complexity and detail used to describe how PCBs
behave in the environment; (4) as a result, since the models are not
interchangeable, they could lead to different conclusions regarding the
extent to which PCBs pose an unacceptable level of risk to human health
and the environment, currently and in the future; (5) in addition to the
modeling differences, EPA and GE disagree on related scientific and
technical issues, for example, whether PCBs in a certain area of the
river are a continuing source of contamination for the entire river; (6)
EPA obtained public and external scientific and technical comments on
its assessment model and studies from several sources; (7) EPA, through
a contractor, established five independent peer review panels comprised
of 29 experts to review its major scientific and technical work
products; (8) these panels received public comments during peer review
meetings, a step not normally taken; (9) EPA used an extensive public
outreach process as part of its assessment of the Hudson River; (10)
this process involved several working groups established by EPA to help
ensure that its public outreach process was inclusive; (11) EPA
consulted with interested federal and state agencies and GE to obtain
scientific and technical information and suggestions on its approach;
(12) EPA expects to propose its decision for public comment by December
2000; and (13) in reaching its decision, EPA plans to incorporate
comments received from a number of sources, including GE.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  RCED-00-193
     TITLE:  Superfund: Information Regarding EPA's Cleanup Decision
	     Process on the Hudson River Site
      DATE:  09/28/2000
   SUBJECT:  Environmental monitoring
	     Hazardous substances
	     Health hazards
	     Wastewater management
	     Water pollution control
	     Industrial pollution
	     Computer modeling
	     Inland waterways
IDENTIFIER:  Hudson River (NY)
	     Superfund Program
	     EPA Community Interaction Program