Gus Bilirakis: “Mr. Chairman, my amendment No. 14 would create a specific line item of funding for the Office of the National Hazardous…”

“Mr. Chairman, my amendment No. 14 would create a specific line item of funding for the Office of the National Hazardous Waste and Superfund Ombudsman within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I have experienced, Mr. Chairman, firsthand the Ombudsman's important work in connection with the Stauffer Superfund site located in my congressional district and my hometown, I might add, in Tarpon Springs, Florida. I invited the Ombudsman to conduct an independent review of the Stauffer site when it became apparent to me that many of my constituents felt that they were shut out of the process by the EPA. For example, EPA initially failed to address local residents' concerns about the appropriate cleanup standard for arsenic. In addition, EPA has not conducted any sinkhole studies to determine if the proposed remedy, which includes consolidating the waste on-site into a capped mound, will remain intact should sinkholes develop.”