Velazquez Seeks Additional Superfund Dollars

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) has led more than 100 of her Congressional colleagues in calling for a boost in federal dollars for the "Superfund" environmental remediation program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The National Priorities List (NPL) or "Superfund" program helps to clean up over 1,300 environmentally contaminated sites throughout the nation. Velázquez's district, New York's 7th, contains all or part of three Superfund sites: the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company.

In a letter to members of the Appropriations Committee legislators called for increasing Superfund appropriations to $1.46 billion in Fiscal Year 2020, an increase of over $300 million above Fiscal Year 2019 enacted levels.

"This increase in funding would help ensure the Superfund program has resources to operate at maximum efficiency, helping cleanup environmental sore spots," said Velázquez, the letter's author. "I'm proud so many of colleagues joined my call for this additional funding."

The text of the letter is below and a .pdf (with all cosigners) is online here.

The Honorable Betty McCollum

Chairman

Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

2256 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Ken Calvert

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Interior, Environment,

and Related Agencies

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman McCollum & Ranking Member Calvert,

As your Subcommittee considers the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY19) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request you to include $1.46 billion in funding for the Hazardous Substance Superfund Account.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates Superfund sites as any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and is a risk to human health and the environment. These sites are placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). The NPL has over 1,300 sites in the U.S. with known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. The long-term health challenges, business disruption and displacement costs are harmful to residents affected by hazardous contamination. Revitalizing contaminated land improves the quality of life for communities around the United States and is part of EPA's core mission.

In FY2010, the agency invested more than $1.3 billion to develop and implement prevention programs, improve response capabilities, and maximize the effectiveness of response and cleanup actions under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act RCRA, Superfund, Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) and other authorities. This work must continue by funding the program at $1.46 billion in order to keep up with inflation and fund the increase in Superfund sites.

We look forward to working with you both to ensure adequate funding for the Superfund Account and successfully revitalize contaminated areas of our country.

Sincerely,