United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2006-06-15 monographic deposited born digital 11 p. GA 1.13:GAO-06-900T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T P0b002ee18037eb37 f:d06900t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T GAO-06-900T Environmental monitoring Environmental cleanups Environmental law Hazardous substances Hazardous waste sites Regulatory agencies Liability (legal) Waste disposal Waste management Land management Internal controls Pollution control Pollution monitoring Superfund Program Testimony A55840 Under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund program, parties responsible for pollution bear the cost of cleaning it up. However, these parties sometimes no longer exist, leaving the problem for others, typically the federal government, to address. Furthermore, many sites' cleanup remedies leave some waste in place, relying on institutional controls--legal or administrative restrictions on land or water use--to limit the public's exposure. GAO was asked to summarize the findings of its August 2005 report, Environmental Liabilities: EPA Should Do More to Ensure that Liable Parties Meet Their Cleanup Obligations (GAO-05-658) and its January 2005 report, Hazardous Waste Sites: Improved Effectiveness of Controls at Sites Could Better Protect the Public (GAO-05-163). GAO's statement addresses the actions EPA could take to better ensure that parties meet their cleanup obligations and the long-term effectiveness of institutional controls in protecting the public. GAO's reports recommended, among other things, that EPA (1) implement a financial assurance mandate for businesses handling hazardous substances; (2) enhance its oversight and enforcement of existing financial assurances and authorities; (3) ensure that the frequency and scope of monitoring of controls sufficiently maintain their effectiveness; and (4) ensure that information on controls reported in new tracking systems accurately reflects actual conditions. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T.pdf GAO-06-900T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-06-900T Testimony GAO-06-900T; Superfund: Better Financial Assurances and More Effective Implementation of Institutional Controls Are Needed to Protect the Public; Environmental monitoring Environmental cleanups Environmental law Hazardous substances Hazardous waste sites Regulatory agencies Liability (legal) Waste disposal Waste management Land management Internal controls Pollution control Pollution monitoring Superfund Program