In line with with the Biden administration’s earlier pledges to promote environmental justice, 60% of the sites are in “historically underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan on a press call. “With more than one in four Black and Hispanic Americans living within three miles of a Superfund site, this funding will help improve people's lives, especially those who have long been on the front lines of pollution,” he added. The administrator also highlighted post-cleanup development opportunities for Superfund sites, referencing public parks, recreational and residential development on restored land.

“These resources also give us breathing room at the agency to use other sources of funding that are available as well,” for actions such as enforcement—finding responsible parties, said Regan.

One of the newly cleanup projects is the Westside Lead site in Atlanta, Ga., a residential area containing lead-contaminated soil with an estimated $49-million price tag for cleanup that includes excavating and disposing contaminated soil and backfilling the site with clean soil. “This is a process that typically takes years to advance” said Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) on the press call. But the extra funding will allow an “accelerated timeline,” he added.

The $1 billion in IIJA funding for 2023 effectively doubles EPA's often underfunded Superfund cleanup budget, with just under $1 billion allocated for cleanup in EPA's FY2023 budget. 

In Dec. 2021, the administration announced an initial $1 billion that funded cleanup in 2022 of 44 Superfund sites from EPA’s National Priorities List backlog, part of 81 new cleanups started that year, as well as additional funds for ongoing projects, according to Regan. The additional funding enabled EPA to clear its backlog of unfunded projects.