EPA OIG draft excerpt on WTC residential cleaning program, June

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

DRAFT EXCERPTS FROM SECTION 6; FOR REVIEW & DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY

Indoor Residential Cleanup Ongoing The testing and cleaning of residences was one of several activities included in an overall Indoor Air Residential Assistance Program funded by FEMA at an estimated cost of $60 to $80 million. In addition to testing and cleaning of residences, the program included:

identifying contaminants of potential concern resulting from the WTC attack. conducting a confirmation cleaning study to evaluate the effectiveness of various cleaning techniques in achieving health-based benchmarks. conducting a study of Upper Manhattan to determine background (normal) levels of contaminants. inspecting and cleaning building exteriors in Lower Manhattan. cleaning two imoccupied residential buildings.

The indoor residential cleanup program was administered by EPA and New York City. FEMA officials told us that they normally do not fund indoor cleanups of private spaces related to a disaster unless a public health emergency is declared, and the Governor of New York did not declare a public health emergency for this incident. Generally, FEMA provides 75 percent of the cost of a cleanup and the State or local agency the remaining 25 percent. However, in this instance. New York City officials indicated an indoor cleanup was not necessary and, therefore, FEMA was funding the entire program. Accordingly, in May 2002, the EPA Region 2 Administrator provided FEMA with a memorandum that furnished the necessary justification to authorize funding.

Public registration for the testing and cleaning program ended on December 28,2002. As of July 17, 2003, EPA had reported the following test results.

Table 6-1: Test Results for Indoor Asbestos Testing as of July 17,2003 Residences Test Type of Total Tests Residences Not Not Results Request Requests Completed Cleared' Cleared^ Determined’

20

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