Superfund: The Role of Risk in Setting Priorities (Testimony, 04/05/95,
GAO/T-RCED-95-161).

Under the Superfund program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
must determine cleanup priorities for hazardous waste sites on the basis
of the risks that the sites pose to human health and the environment.
In 1989, EPA began a "worst sites first" policy that requires sites
posing the greatest risk to be placed on the National Priorities List--a
roster of the most contaminated properties.  Once EPA decides to address
a listed site, it does a formal "baseline" risk assessment to help it
determine the steps needed to protect human health and the environment.
This testimony discusses the extent to which EPA (1) has implemented its
policy of "worst sites first" to reduce its backlog of sites awaiting
screening for the National Priorities List and to prioritize sites
already on the list and (2) follows its own guidance in conducting
baseline risk assessments.

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

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-95-161
     TITLE:  Superfund: The Role of Risk in Setting Priorities
      DATE:  04/05/95
   SUBJECT:  Environmental monitoring
             Hazardous substances
             Waste disposal
             Environment evaluation
             Health hazards
             Information gathering operations
             Prioritizing
             Site selection
             Environmental policies
             Evaluation methods
IDENTIFIER:  Superfund Program
             EPA National Priorities List
             EPA Hazard Ranking System
             
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