STATEMENT
OF MARIANNE HORINKO,
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR
OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE U.S.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC
WORKS NOVEMBER 1, 2001
Mr. Chairman and Members of the committee, thank
you for the opportunity to discuss the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) role in domestic terrorism preparedness and, more specifically, the
Agency's role in protection of the nation’s water resources.
The tragic events of September 11, 2001, have
raised valid concerns over our nation's vulnerability to terrorist
attack. As a nation, we are
scrutinizing our efforts to prepare for and to prevent terrorist events. Realizing that we must always remain
vigilant to new threats and must always be ready to respond, the Agency
welcomes the opportunity this hearing offers to examine these issues.
My testimony covers four major
areas: EPA's role in counter-terrorism
preparedness and response before and after September 11; a specific
discussion of drinking water protection related to the September 11 attack; EPA’s
overall protection of our nation's drinking water; and the critical federal
coordination needed to meet the counter-terrorism challenges ahead.
The Federal Partners and NGO's: A Unique
Partnership
The National Response Team (NRT), established
by the National Contingency Plan (NCP), consists of 16 Federal agencies with
responsibilities, interests, and expertise in various aspects of emergency
response to pollution incidents. The
EPA serves as chair and the Coast Guard serves as vice chair of the NRT. This
partnership includes such Federal agencies as the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry), DOD (Department of Defense), DOE (Department
of Energy), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), FEMA (Federal Emergency
Management Agency) and key non-governmental organizations.
September 11, 2001 -- Emergency Response
Actions
Our Federal partnership sprung into action on
September 11, 2001. Before the second
plane had struck the World Trade Center in Manhattan, EPA headquarters had
already begun coordination with our Region 2 office to address the crash of the
first plane. Ten minutes later, our EPA
headquarters had linked all of our east coast regional offices to begin coordination
and support of the New York response effort. EPA's Emergency Response Program
was present on site in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania within hours of the
four plane crashes.
Throughout the response effort, EPA worked in
coordination with our federal partners to monitor and protect human health and
the environment from potential hazards associated with the three crash
sites. At both The World Trade Center
and the Pentagon, EPA provided monitoring for various air contaminants. For example, EPA and other federal, state
and city agencies have taken literally thousands of samples of dust, air,
drinking water, stormwater runoff and river sediments in and around the World
Trade Center site. We’ve tested for the
presence of pollutants such as asbestos, lead, volatile organic compounds,
dioxin, benzene, metals, PCBs and other chemicals and substances that could
pose a threat to the public and workers at the site. Fortunately, EPA and OSHA have found no evidence of any
significant public health hazard to residents, visitors, or workers beyond the
immediate World Trade Center area. And
despite recent press accounts which suggest otherwise, these findings have not
changed. In fact, environmental
conditions off the site have improved in recent weeks.
In addition to our monitoring activities, at
the World Trade Center, EPA assisted in debris removal, and cleanup of dust and
debris from the streets using vacuum trucks.
EPA has provided rescue workers and others onsite with protective gear and
health and safety recommendations for the difficult conditions on site. We have also set up washing stations for
response workers at Ground Zero and vehicles and heavy equipment departing the
Zone are being washed down prior to departure. Signs informing rescuers of the
need to wear protective gear are posted throughout the washing stations.
EPA’s Anthrax Response
I want to bring to your attention the
increasing number of requests the Agency has received to provide assessment,
sampling, and cleanup assistance at anthrax-contaminated buildings across the
country. The dilemma we face is that
the Superfund statutory language that allows us to respond to these biological
releases also limits our ability to recover our response costs. To the extent these activities will
continue, they will have an impact on our Superfund cleanup activities later in
the year in certain parts of the country.
September 11, 2001-- Water Protection
Regarding water concerns associated with the
crash site in Manhattan, EPA collected and tested drinking water at several
distribution points. Following several days of heavy rain in New York, we
collected water samples from storm sewers and surface runoff to determine if
potential contamination from the World Trade Center site was entering the
Hudson or East rivers. All samples of drinking water, which were tested for a
wide range of contaminants, had levels below federal standards. Analysis of runoff following heavy rain on
September 14 did show some elevated levels of PCBs and other pollutants.
Follow-up sampling on several occasions found levels back to those normally
found in area waters.
Water Protection Task Force
Recognizing the need to ensure appropriate
coordination of water security activities, EPA has established a Water
Protection Task Force that will guide efforts on long term drinking water
infrastructure protection and wastewater treatment infrastructure protection. Governor
Whitman announced some specific projects to Protect America's Drinking
Water :
$
The
Administration has requested $34.5 million as part of the terrorism
supplemental appropriations for support of vulnerability assessments for
drinking water systems and $5 million for state grants for drinking water
counterterrorism coordinators to work with EPA and drinking water systems.
$
With EPA
support, the Sandia National Laboratory of the Department of Energy in
partnership with the American Water Works Association Research Foundation
is developing a "tool kit" to assist drinking water systems in
conducting vulnerability assessments and identifying remedial
action.
C
We expect
training on this resource to be available later this month. As an interim
measure, EPA has disseminated a fact sheet that outlines measures
utilities can take immediately to protect their drinking water
supplies. Issued through the state
drinking water program managers, this document should now be in the hands of
every public water system.
C
As this "tool kit" is being
developed, the American Water Works Association Research Foundation is
drafting additional, more detailed training materials that will provide
step-by-step guidance to drinking water utilities on conducting
vulnerability assessments, identifying remedial actions and strengthening
their emergency operation plans. Formal
training sessions that will take utility security officials through the
first steps of their vulnerability assessments will begin in December.
C
Training others
to conduct vulnerability assessments will be an integral component of this
effort. Consequently the Agency envisions that a significant cadre of
professionals will be available to assist systems in doing these vulnerability
assessments.
These activities focus on enhancing
preparedness of water utilities; other projects will bolster the existing
methods for responding to emergency situations, including terrorist
acts. Currently, a drinking water utility would activate its
existing emergency response plan with its local police and state emergency
officials. If needed, these provide for shutting down the system, notifying
the public of any emergency steps they might need to take (e.g., boiling
water) and providing alternate sources of water. EPA's extensive network
of expert emergency response personnel can be dispatched to the scene
immediately to support local communities.
EPA's Counter-Terrorism Activities
As EPA continues to
strengthen its counter-terrorism (CT) program by building on the existing
National Response System for hazardous materials (hazmat) prevention,
preparedness, and response, the Agency is involved in a variety of
activities with federal, state, and local officials that include:
C
Requesting $5.5
million in the terrorism supplemental appropriations to establish and equip a
West Coast response team.
C
In the ten EPA
regions, the Agency's first responders are the On-Scene Coordinators (or
OSCs). The OSCs have been actively involved with local, state, and federal
authorities in preparing for and responding to threats of terrorism. EPA's
OSCs, located throughout the United States, have broad response authority and a
proven record of success in responding rapidly emergency situations.
C
Providing
expertise in performing off-site monitoring, extent of
contamination surveys, working with health officials to establish safe
cleanup levels conducting protective cleanup actions.
C
Communicating
technical information or health data to affected citizens is essential for
a successful Federal response to an act of terrorism that involves a
release of chemical, biological, or radioactive material. EPA brings
unique capabilities and experience to the response process.
C
Expanding work
with State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) and Local Emergency
Planning Committees (LEPCs) to develop emergency response plans for
hazardous materials releases to encourage them to incorporate terrorism
response issues into their existing emergency plans.
C
Working closely
with other federal agencies to refine interagency response plans for terrorist
attacks.
C
Conducting
forensic evidence collection on nonmilitary industrial chemicals in the
event of an eco-terrorism event by EPA's National Enforcement
Investigations Center (NEIC) and training state, local, and federal personnel
in this type of work.
Conclusion
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to
emphasize that the Administrator, Governor Whitman, has made very clear to
the entire Agency that there is no higher priority than ensuring that
EPA's mission to protect the environment and public health is a broad umbrella
that encompasses homeland security. The expertise and experience the
Agency has developed over 31 years is poised to assist and support the hard
work Governor Ridge and this Congress will be doing.
Clearly, the Administrator is adamant that
EPA's efforts to help secure the safety and integrity of America's water supply
and infrastructure must be undertaken with great speed, energy, and
attention. Deadlines that were established before September 11th for such
action are no longer appropriate. We have no time to waste in completing
this work and we intend to devote the resources necessary to make certain
that it is done quickly and that it is done properly.
Governor Whitman, myself, and our
professionals throughout EPA welcome the opportunity to work with you, your
colleagues in the Congress, your professional staff, and with Governor
Ridge and the Office of Homeland Security to protect and preserve the health
and well being of every American citizen.