Evaluation of potentially hazardous sites occurs in several stages. 1.) EPA attributed the decline since 1985 to the fact that many states now have their own Superfund programs. EPA Region I site assessment officials suggested that states generally report sites that present challenging enforcement or cleanup problems. 2.) However, the officials believe that contamination at newly discovered sites is generally not less severe than at previously reported sites—just less obvious. In congressional testimony in February 1994, EPA forecast the smallest increase—1,700 new sites. In the base case, CBO estimated that 25,394 sites would be added to the inventory by the year 2027. This estimate was about 5,000 sites higher than EPA’s medium estimate. Given the limited pace of site cleanup by the Superfund program to date, any of the increases in Superfund’s size discussed in this report may be difficult for the program to manage. Nonfederal Sites Accepted and Rejected for Further Consideration After Preliminary Assessment

Nonfederal Sites Accepted and Rejected for Further Consideration After Site Inspection

EPA’s Estimate of Future National Priorities List Size Through 2020

Nonfederal Sites That Could Be Added to the National Priorities List From the Inventory If Fiscal Year 1993 Evaluation Rates Continue

Number of sites in inventory (col A)
Percent of sites that could be listed  (col B)
Range of sites that could col B)
Sites evaluated—not placed on priorities list Sites evaluated—placed on priorities list Sites still to be evaluated Sites awaiting final listing decision Backlogged sites awaiting final evaluation Subtotal of sites still to be evaluated Overall percentage of sites that could be placed on the priorities list(Table notes on next page)

CBO’s Estimate of the Future Number of Nonfederal Sites on the National Priorities List

Number of federal and nonfederal inventory sitesPlacement rate (percent)
Estimated priority list size before rounding Estimated priority list size (rounded)

Major Contributors to This Report

	Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, Washington, D.C.

	Chicago/Detroit Regional Office

	Boston Regional Office

Bruce Skud, Senior Evaluator The first copy of each GAO report and testimony is free. Additional copies are $2 each.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund Program, focusing on: (1) trends in the number of reported hazardous waste sites; (2) EPA evaluation of potential contamination at these sites; and (3) recent estimates of the program's future growth.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) the number of sites reported each year has steadily declined since 1985, primarily because the states believe that they can handle cleanups more efficiently and prefer to do the cleanups themselves; (2) states generally report sites that present challenging enforcement or cleanup problems; (3) the percentage of seriously contaminated sites among those reported has remained constant at 43 percent over the past 10 years; (4) EPA officials believe that contamination at newly discovered sites is not less severe, just less obvious; (5) EPA believes 1,700 new federal and nonfederal sites could be added to the National Priorities List through the year 2020; (6) the Congressional Budget Office believes that 3,300 new nonfederal sites could be added to the list through the year 2027; (7) the future Superfund workload could be higher than EPA estimated; and (8) any additions to the Superfund program will be difficult for EPA to manage.