Book Description

Prior to the 1980s and the passage of environmental legislation -- esp. the Comprehensive Environ. Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) governing environmental cleanup -- DoD activities contaminated millions of acres of soil and water on and near DoD sites. The EPA places the most contaminated sites on its Nat. Priorities List (NPL) and requires that they be cleaned up in accordance with CERCLA. EPA has placed 140 DoD sites on the NPL. Disputes have recently arisen between EPA and DoD on agreements to clean up some of these sites. This report determines: (1) the extent of EPA's oversight during assessment and cleanup at DoD sites; and (2) why EPA has proposed fewer DoD sites for the NPL since the early 1990s. Illustrations.