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33 Env't Cl. J. 1 (2021)

handle is hein.journals/envcl33 and id is 1 raw text is: ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS JOURNAL 2021, VOL. 33, NO. 1, 1-6 Routledge https://doi.org/10.1080/10406026.2020.1868731 Taylor&Francis Group EDITORIAL ;o : Editor's Note On behalf of the Environmental Claims Journal, we congratulate and celebrate the 50th Anniversary to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA was established on December 2, 1970 upon President Nixon signing Reorganization Plan No. 3. As we celebrate 50 years of environmental protection and 40 years of brownfield cleanups by the EPA under the Superfund Law,' we applaud its successful oversight for cleaning up contamination at hundreds of thousands of sites, and imple- menting many other environmental initiatives, which protected our health and the environment. On June 10, 2020, the EPA released its annual Superfund Accomplishments Report (Report) which documents national achievements in its Superfund program during 2019.2 The Superfund Task Force work, through Administrator's Emphasis Lists, resolved issues and completed 233 removal actions.3 Those actions addressed immi- nent and substantial threats to human health and eliminated unnecessary cleanup delays by engaging innovative science and technology and input from the commun- ities. Indeed, 27 sites from the National Priorities List were aggressively and satisfactor- ily cleaned up, the largest number of removals in a single year since 2001.4 The EPA under the current Trump Administration has largely focused on results more than expanding regulations and policy making. The Report details how the EPA most recently focused on actual results to accom- plish five overarching goals: (1) Expediting cleanup and remediation; (2) Reinvigorating responsible party cleanup and reuse; (3) Encouraging private invest- ment; (4) Promoting redevelopment and community revitalization; and (5) Engaging partners and stakeholders.5 The Task Force workgroups identified effective ways to implement the recommendations and reach outcome-driven results to expedite clean- ups, site redevelopment, and community revitalization while protecting human health and the environment. Moreover, the EPA secured $570 million from responsible par- ties to cleanup up Superfund sites and reimbursed the EPA more than $280 million for its costs.' The Report demonstrates how the redevelopment of more than 1,000 Superfund sites now support 9,180 businesses generating $58.3 billion in sales and employing over 200,000 people earning more than $14.4 billion.8 The EPA was pursuing cleanups throughout 2020 while being mindful to COVID- 19. In April, the EPA issued interim guidance to the Agency's regional offices to ensure that thoughtful and case by case decisions on a local level were being made to Htollin@sterlingrisk.com ' See https://www.epa.gov/50 and http://www.epa.gov/history 2The Report is available at https://semspub.epa.gov/work/HQ/100002479.pdf 3Id. at p.10 41d. s Id. 6Id. at p. 7 7Id. at p. 11. 8 Id. at p. 37. C 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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