An increasing amount of Superfund money set aside for cleaning up hazardous waste sites is being spent on administrative costs and support functions, according to a new General Accounting Office report.
The report, requested by the House Commerce Committee and obtained by Reuters, triggered fresh calls from Republicans for an overhaul of the program, which was allotted $1.5 billion this year. But Democrats and EPA officials contend that administrative costs are unavoidable in planning and preparing to remove hazardous materials from soil and groundwater.
The report said that Superfund allocated $56 million more in fiscal 1997 than in fiscal 1996 for administrative overhead, and noted the amount of spending for contractor cleanup work declined from $695 million in FY96 to $664 million in 1997.
NEXT STORY: Senate approves 3.6 percent raise