EPA Lists 21 Toxic Superfund Sites That Need Immediate Cleanup

"The Environmental Protection Agency released a list of Superfund sites around the country Friday that it said regulators will target 'for immediate and intense attention.'

The push is part of Administrator Scott Pruitt’s promise to prioritize the decades-old cleanup program, even as the Trump administration shrinks the size and reach of the EPA. The 21 sites highlighted by the agency span the country, from a former tannery site in New Hampshire to a contaminated landfill from the World War II-era Manhattan Project in St. Louis to an abandoned copper mine in Nevada.

'By elevating these sites, we are sending a message that EPA is, in fact, restoring its Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency’s mission,' Pruitt said in a statement. 'Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites.'"

Brady Dennis reports for the Washington Post December 8, 2017.