Industry Perspective on the Great Lakes Legacy Act Sediment Remediation Program

摘要

Background. The Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed into law in 2002 to accelerate remediation of contaminated sediment in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) located in the United States. To encourage accelerated remediation, the GLLA Program provides partial funding for federal/nonfederal cleanup partnerships. The nonfederal sponsor provides the remainder of a project’s funding, either through money or in-kind services. Approach. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) administers the GLLA Program. GLNPO seeks nonfederal partners with which to team on sediment remediation projects in Great Lakes AOCs. These nonfederal partners include States and industries. Types of projects include investigation and characterization, remediation with or without concurrent restoration, and some source control activities. Lessons Learned. Industry has participated in several GLLA projects as the nonfederal sponsors. From these projects it is evident that the GLLA Program offers an efficient, effective alternative to typical enforcement-oriented remediation programs such as Superfund. Observations gained from several completed GLLA projects with industrial participation and the advantages of participation will be discussed.