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EPA to Begin Reviews of 3 RI Superfund Sites in 2019

Friday, February 22, 2019

GoLocalProv News Team

Newport Naval Education and Training Center superfund site.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to conduct reviews of site cleanups at three Rhode Island Superfund sites this year.

The three Rhode Island Superfund sites that will be reviewed in 2019 include the Landfill and Resource Recovery Inc., in North Smithfield, the Rose Hill Regional Landfill in South Kingston and the Newport Naval Education and Training Center.

“It is a priority for EPA to make progress cleaning up National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites across the region. Once a site or part of a site is cleaned up, it is important for EPA to conduct regular reviews of the cleanup to ensure that it remains protective of human health and the environment,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deb Szaro.

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Once the review is complete, a report of the findings will be posted on the respective websites.

The Newport Naval Education and Training Center will be completed in Fiscal Year 2020.

Superfund Site Cleanup

The Superfund program investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country and endeavors to facilitate activities to return them to productive use.

Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment.

“Rhode Islanders benefit when formerly unsafe areas are cleaned up and put to productive use. We see this at repurposed Superfund sites like the Picillo Farm in Coventry and the Rose Hill Landfill in South Kingstown where wind and solar farms now occupy the landscape,” said Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Director Janet Coit.

The EPA is involved in Superfund studies and cleanups at 13 sites in Rhode Island including Federal Facilities.

There are several phases of the Superfund cleanup process including considering future use and redevelopment at sites and conducting post-cleanup monitoring of sites.

EPA must ensure remedies are protective of public health and the environment and any redevelopment will uphold the protectiveness into the future.

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