EPA Oversight of DOD Installation Restoration Program Activities

GAO discussed its review of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) oversight of the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) cleanup agreement compared to that of a private site. GAO found that: (1) the agreement delegated cleanup responsibilities among the Army, EPA, and Minnesota; (2) EPA planned to use its private-sector work-load statistics to estimate regional staffing and contractor resource needs until it developed federal facility standards; (3) the TCAAP site required more work than average sites because of the extent of contamination, the site size, the affected population, and the number of participants and contractors involved; (4) while the Army conducted the on-base investigation and Minnesota conducted the off-base investigations, a private party would do all of that work; and (5) EPA may spend as much as $300,000 for oversight and technical assistance. GAO also found that: (1) the agreement facilitated collaboration among the parties and greatly improved their communications; (2) although the parties have either met their document deadlines or requested extensions, both the Army and the state would not complete their investigations until after the required deadlines; (3) the differences between private and federal oversight concerned permit requirements, financing, unexpected events, oversight costs, and document review; and (4) future agreements may differ because a model agreement reduced oversight procedures, halved the number of approvals, and provided a dispute resolution process.