1、本科毕业设计（论文） 外 文 翻 译 原文 ： EPA Publishes First Superfund Annual Report In an effort to inform the public about the progress of the Superfund program, EPA has issued the first-ever Superfund Annual Report. The report, which is entitled FY 2004 Superfund Annual Report, highlights the environmental and fi
2、nancial performance of the Superfund program during fiscal year (FY) 2004. The report also includes a detailed history of Superfund, outlines components of the program, and describes trends that EPA has initiated to improve the program. Superfund History The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Com
3、pensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) was passed by Congress in 1980 to address the dangers of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The legislation was enacted in response to a number of serious hazardous waste disasters that occurred in the 1970s, such as Love Canal (Niagara Falls, NY),
4、Valley of the Drums (Kentucky), and Times Beach (Missouri). CERCLA gives EPA and other federal agencies the authority to respond to a release, or substantial threat of a release, of a hazardous substance into the environment. It also covers releases, or potential releases, of any pollutant or contam
5、inant that may endanger public health or the environment. The law established a trust fund, called the Superfund, for EPA to use in cleaning up sites when responsible parties could not be found or were unable to pay for cleanup. The fund was financed primarily by a tax on crude oil and certain chemi
6、cals. CERCLA also allows the federal government to recover its response costs from responsible parties or to compel them to clean up sites at their own expense. In 1986, Congress passed the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). SARA added several provisions to the original legislation
7、. Superfund Program Features The Superfund program comprises several types of activities, including the following: Site assessment EPA screens potential Superfund sites using three procedural steps: 1) Preliminary assessment, which consists of the collection and review of readily available informati
8、on； 2) Site inspection, which is an onsite assessment； and 3) Calculation of a score for the site using the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is a numerically-based screening system that assesses the hazards a site poses to human health and the environment. National Priorities List (NPL) Sites with
9、 HRS scores 28.5 may be listed on the NPL, EPAs list of high priority sites for action. Site response In situations where immediate action is required, EPA may undertake short-term or emergency actions (i.e., removal actions). At sites where immediate response is not necessary, long-term cleanups (i
10、.e., remedial actions) are taken to provide a more permanent solution. Remedial actions may take years to complete. After remedial actions are finished, long-term maintenance may be necessary to maintain the integrity of the response actions. Enforcement CERCLA gives EPA the authority to 1) conduct
11、cleanups and seek cost recovery from the responsible parties, 2) enter into settlement agreements, or 3) issue a unilateral administrative order to force responsible parties to conduct a cleanup or pay for cleanup. Federal facilities cleanup SARA added a provision to make CERCLA expressly applicable
12、 to federal facilities. Numerous federal facilities are listed on the NPL and many large cleanups are underway, mainly at U.S Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Energy facilities. Community involvement and stakeholder participation A major thrust of the Superfund process is to include comm
13、unity members and stakeholders in cleanup planning and implementation decisions. Redevelopment and reuse EPAs Superfund Redevelopment Initiative offers communities assistance to identify reasonably anticipated future land uses for Superfund sites. FY 2004 Accomplishments Table 1 outlines EPAs Superf
14、und program accomplishments during FY 2004. The information is grouped into the following categories: Financial resources, Expenditures, Cost recovery, National Priorities List, Cleanup actions at Superfund sites, Removal actions, and Federal facilities. Trends Identified In addition to providing in
15、formation on the status of the Superfund program, the report outlines trends that EPA has initiated to improve the program. These trends are outlined below. Cost Management Measures As the Superfund program has evolved, EPA has seen an increase in the number of complicated sites, site size, and clea
16、nup length. This has put pressure on the Superfund budget. In FY 2004, EPA committed more than 52% of the Superfund budget to long-term, ongoing cleanup work at just nine sites. A similar situation is expected in FY 2005. To address the resulting budgetary shortfall, EPA has taken steps to make the program more cost efficient. These steps include the following actions: EPA takes continuing steps to make sure that potentially responsible parties (PRPs) pay for, or conduct, cleanups. In FY 2004, EPA obtained $109 million from PRP settlements.
