The Government Accountability Office on Thursday said the Environmental Protection Agency has recovered less than half of what it spent cleaning up nonfederal Superfund sites since 1996 and should start measuring how effective its cost recovery work is.
In a report published Nov. 5, GAO estimated that EPA recovered less than half of the $25.8 billion it spent at nonfederal National Priorities List sites from fiscal years 1996 through 2024. GAO said EPA has identified at least one potentially responsible party for most of these sites but faces challenges, including a decline in experienced staff who search for responsible parties over the past 10 to 15 years, and limits on the agency’s ability to hold them liable.
GAO reported that the Hazardous Substance Superfund Trust Fund received about $34 billion in constant 2024 dollars from fiscal years 2006 through 2024, mostly from General Fund transfers. Over the same period, Congress drew about $32.8 billion from the Trust Fund for Superfund activities. GAO said the restored Superfund taxes supplied significant funding for the program in fiscal year 2024. At nonfederal NPL sites, remedial activities made up about half of EPA’s expenditures over fiscal years 1996 through 2024, according to the report.
GAO found that EPA has set some performance goals to ensure timely steps on cost recovery but does not assess how effective its recovery is across sites or regions. Officials told GAO they had not measured effectiveness because cost recovery is a continuous process that can take years. GAO said measuring effectiveness would show how much of the billions in cleanup costs are being recovered and which efforts work best, helping the agency determine resource needs and target enforcement.
GAO recommended that EPA establish goals for cost recovery effectiveness at nonfederal NPL sites, routinely and systematically collect performance information on effectiveness, and use that information to assess progress and inform future decisions. EPA agreed with the recommendations, GAO said. The recommendations are open, and GAO said it will update the status when actions are confirmed.
The report examined Trust Fund financing and spending, EPA expenditures at nonfederal NPL sites, and the extent to which EPA has identified responsible parties, recovered cleanup costs, and assessed the effectiveness of those efforts. GAO said it examined EPA and budget data, made site visits, and held interviews with EPA officials.
GAO noted that its estimate of recovered amounts is a point-in-time figure because cost recovery efforts are ongoing, according to EPA officials.
