Superfund

EPA Needs to Better Focus Cleanup Technology Development Gao ID: T-RCED-92-92 September 15, 1992

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging government and industry to develop innovative technologies to help clean up the thousands of hazardous waste sites scattered across the country. Available treatment technologies are often expensive, ineffective, and unacceptable to the public. GAO testified that EPA programs have clearly increased development and selection of innovative technologies for the cleanup of Superfund hazardous waste sites. These technologies, however, are still unable to clean up many kinds of sites reliably and cost effectively. More time will be needed to allow cleanup technology to catch up with Superfund program expectations. GAO believes that without a clear sense of existing site conditions and the cost and efficacy of current technologies to address these site conditions, EPA cannot effectively direct developers to help meet these needs.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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