Abstract |
We evaluated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) Superfund cost recovery and billing practices at a sample of National Priority List (NPL) sites. The objectives were to determine: (1) What were the total Superfund expenditures at NPL sites where a viable business is the primary responsible party, and have those expenditures been recovered. (2) Are EPA regional offices effectively billing site costs. (3) Were incorrect costs corrected and billed to the appropriate site. We found that EPA regions have recovered $165 million of $294 million (56 percent) of the total Superfund costs from the sites we reviewed. Potentially responsible parties (PRPs) at these sites have generally paid what they have been billed. However, EPA has not recovered as much as $129 million (44 percent) and has determined it will not attempt to recover between $30 million and $90 million of this amount. This indicates a potentially significant breakdown in controls over Superfund cost recovery. |