A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of voluntary cleanup programs in Washington, Oregon, California, and South Dakota
Research Mentor(s)
Sofield, Ruth M.
Description
In recent decades, state cleanup programs have been able to address contaminated sites that the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) lacked the capacity to address. State voluntary cleanup programs (VCPs) and brownfields programs have increasingly been used to accomplish timely and cost-effective cleanups. In most states, the majority of contaminated sites are now mitigated through a voluntary program. To assess the success of state VCP and brownfields programs, a meta-analysis was conducted of these programs in Washington, Oregon, California, and South Dakota. The regulations for these voluntary programs were compared, including eligibility criteria, liability standards, enforcement procedures, public participation requirements, and cleanup criteria. Contaminated sites that had completed cleanup between 1995 and 2015 with either gas and diesel or arsenic contamination were randomly sampled from each state. The time to cleanup completion, cost of cleanup, type of site redevelopment, and level of public engagement were compared across states within each contaminant category. Effective components of voluntary cleanup programs in these states will be used to propose improvements to state programs nationwide.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
14-5-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
14-5-2015 2:00 PM
Department
Environmental Sciences
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Brownfields--Government policy--United States--States; Hazardous waste site remediation--Government policy--United States--States
Geographic Coverage
Washington (State); Oregon; California; South Dacota
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of voluntary cleanup programs in Washington, Oregon, California, and South Dakota
In recent decades, state cleanup programs have been able to address contaminated sites that the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) lacked the capacity to address. State voluntary cleanup programs (VCPs) and brownfields programs have increasingly been used to accomplish timely and cost-effective cleanups. In most states, the majority of contaminated sites are now mitigated through a voluntary program. To assess the success of state VCP and brownfields programs, a meta-analysis was conducted of these programs in Washington, Oregon, California, and South Dakota. The regulations for these voluntary programs were compared, including eligibility criteria, liability standards, enforcement procedures, public participation requirements, and cleanup criteria. Contaminated sites that had completed cleanup between 1995 and 2015 with either gas and diesel or arsenic contamination were randomly sampled from each state. The time to cleanup completion, cost of cleanup, type of site redevelopment, and level of public engagement were compared across states within each contaminant category. Effective components of voluntary cleanup programs in these states will be used to propose improvements to state programs nationwide.