Philadelphia (Feb. 27, 2024) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a third and final wave of more than $1 billion for cleanup projects at more than 100 Superfund sites across the country as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding is made possible by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will launch new cleanup projects at 25 Superfund sites including the Standard Chlorine of Delaware Inc. Superfund site in New Castle, Delaware.
“After three rounds of investments, EPA is delivering on President Biden’s full promise to invest in cleaning up America’s most contaminated Superfund sites,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “This final round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has made it possible for EPA to initiate clean ups at every single Superfund site where construction work is ready to begin. This is an incredible milestone in our efforts to clean up and protect communities, deliver local jobs, enhance economic activity, and improve people’s lives for years to come.”
“Today’s funding announcement continues EPA’s historic investment in the remediation of our nation’s most contaminated sites,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “As a result, the legacy pollution at five Superfund sites in the mid-Atlantic will be cleaned up, providing public health protection to several communities in Delaware and Pennsylvania.”
“Every Delawarean deserves clean air to breathe and access to clean land and water, no matter their zip code. That’s why as Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I worked tirelessly with my colleagues on and off the committee to craft the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included billions of dollars for the Superfund program,” said Senator Tom Carper, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “I’m pleased to see EPA announce over $1 billion of that funding today for more than 100 of our nation’s most contaminated sites – helping communities across Delaware and the country clean up legacy pollution and protect public health all while supporting local economies.”
“Remediating and reclaiming valuable land will breathe fresh life into communities across our country and help address crucial public health and environmental justice issues,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons, Co-Chair of the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. “Here at home, these funds will speed up the years-long transformation of this Superfund site and improve the lives of Delawareans who live in the surrounding area. This is exactly the type of project that the bipartisan infrastructure law was crafted to benefit.”
“It’s critical that we continue to invest in cleaning up Superfund sites for the health and safety of communities across the country, and today’s announcement – made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I proudly championed in Congress – is helping us do just that right here in Delaware,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester. “Thanks to this new tranche of federal funding, the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, will have more support at its disposal to advance its clean-up efforts of the Standard Chlorine Superfund site in New Castle, Delaware – helping us address legacy pollution and improve public health in our environmental justice communities.”
“This is another example of how funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – championed by President Biden and our congressional delegation – is addressing long-standing needs in our country,” Gov. John C. Carney said. “In this case, it is continuing the long-term cleanup of a former industrial site near Delaware City that we hope will return to productive use, making a safer and better community for the residents and businesses in the area. We are appreciative of another meaningful infrastructure investment in Delaware.”
“This $45 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds issued by the Biden-Harris Administration is critical to the cleanup of this 65-acre Superfund site,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “These funds will advance efforts by EPA and DNREC to address the decades-long impact of chlorobenzene pollution on the adjacent wetlands. The efforts by DNREC to date, including the removal of hazardous chemicals, the installation of a groundwater containment system, and the construction of a cap to limit exposure, have laid a strong foundation for remediation. However, it's clear that there remains a substantial amount of work to ensure the site is returned to productive future use. With the ongoing support of the federal government, we will continue to work to ensure the legacy of this site is one of renewed opportunity for the people, wildlife and the ecosystems along Red Lion Creek and in Delaware.”
Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites can include toxic chemicals from manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining, and can harm the health and well-being of local communities in urban and rural areas.
At the Standard Chlorine of Delaware Inc. Superfund site, funds will go toward excavation and treatment of wetland soils and sediment contaminated through historical industrial activities and spills outside of the former chemical manufacturing plant.
Today’s investment is the final wave of funding from the $3.5 billion allocated for Superfund cleanup work in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. So far, EPA has deployed more than $2 billion for cleanup activities at more than 150 Superfund National Priorities List sites. Thanks to President Biden’s commitment to addressing legacy pollution and improving public health, EPA has been able to provide as much funding for cleanup work in the past two years as it did in the previous five years while delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
EPA is committed to continuing to carry out this work advancing environmental justice and incorporating equity considerations into all aspects of the Superfund cleanup process. More than one in four Black and Hispanic Americans live within three miles of a Superfund site. These investments are restoring the health and economic vitality of communities that have been exposed to pervasive legacy pollution. Thus far, nearly 80% of the funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has gone to sites in communities with potential environmental justice concerns. Out of the 25 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, more than 75% are in communities with potential environmental justice concerns based on data from EJSCREEN.
The historic investment made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law strengthens every part of the Superfund program, making a dramatic difference in EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment. In addition to funding cleanup construction work, the investment is enabling EPA to increase funding for and accelerate essential work needed to prepare sites for construction and to ensure communities are meaningfully involved in the cleanup process. In 2023, EPA continued to fund Superfund pre-construction activities such as remedial investigations, feasibility studies, remedial designs, and community involvement at double pre-Bipartisan Infrastructure Law levels.
In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERLCA), known as Superfund. The law gave EPA the authority and funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is found or cannot afford the cleanup, EPA steps in to address risks to human health and the environment using funds appropriated by Congress, like the funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
To see a list of the 25 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, visit EPA’s Superfund webpage.
To see highlights from the first two years of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding at Superfund sites, visit EPA’s Cleaning Up Superfund Sites: Highlights of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding website.
For more information about EPA’s Superfund program, visit EPA’s Superfund website: https://www.epa.gov/superfund