Proposed Rule2025-17505
Proposed Deletion From the National Priorities List
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 11, 2025
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice of Intent to delete one site, Corozal Well, from the National Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this proposed action. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER), have determined that all appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However, this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 174 (Thursday, September 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 174 (Thursday, September 11, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 43988-43990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17505]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 300
[EPA-HQ-OLEM-2025-1247; FRL-12905-01-OLEM]
Proposed Deletion From the National Priorities List
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Notice
of Intent to delete one site, Corozal Well, from the National
Priorities List (NPL) and requests public comments on this proposed
action. The NPL, promulgated pursuant to the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of
1980, as amended, is an appendix of the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). The EPA and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, through the Puerto Rico Department of
Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER), have determined that all
appropriate response actions under CERCLA have been completed. However,
this deletion does not preclude future actions under Superfund.
DATES: Comments regarding this proposed action must be submitted on or
before October 14, 2025.
ADDRESSES: EPA has established a docket for this action under the
Docket ID No. included in table 1 in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document. Submit your comments, identified by the
appropriate Docket ID No., by one of the following methods:
<bullet> <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow on-line instructions
for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or
removed from <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>. The EPA may publish any comment received
to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you
consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. The EPA will
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of
the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general
guidance on making effective comments, please visit <a href="https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets">https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets</a>.
<bullet> Email: Table 2 in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of
this document provides an email address to submit public comments for
the proposed deletion action.
Instructions: Direct your comments to the Docket ID No. included in
table 1 in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change and may be made available online at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or email. The <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> website
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of
your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without
going through <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, your email address will be
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is
placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of
any defects or viruses.
Docket: EPA has established a docket for this action under the
Docket ID included in table 1 in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
of
[[Page 43989]]
this document. All documents in the docket are listed on the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> website. The Final Close-Out Report (FCOR) is the
primary document which summarizes site information to support the
deletion. It is typically written for a broad, non-technical audience
and this document is included in the deletion docket for each of the
sites in this rulemaking. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, i.e., Confidential Business
Information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by
statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not
placed on the internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy
form. Docket materials are available through <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or at the corresponding Regional Records Center.
Location, address, and phone number of the Regional Records Centers
follows.
Regional Records Center:
<bullet> Region 2 (NJ, NY, PR, VI), U.S. EPA, 290 Broadway, New
York, NY 10007-1866; telephone number: (212) 637-4308.
<bullet> EPA Headquarters Docket Center Reading Room (deletion
dockets for all States), William Jefferson Clinton (WJC) West Building,
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, telephone
number: (202) 566-1744.
EPA staff listed below in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section may assist the public in answering inquiries about deleted
sites, accessing deletion support documentation, and determining
whether there are additional physical deletion dockets available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
<bullet> Grace Stern and Robert Keating, U.S. EPA Region 2 (NJ, NY,
PR, VI), email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#097a7d6c7b67276e7b686a6c496c7968276e667f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a4d7d0c1d6ca8ac3d6c5c7c1e4c1d4c58ac3cbd2">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone number: (212)
637-4341; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6e050b0f1a070009401c010c0b1c1a2e0b1e0f40090118"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="264d4347524f4841085449444354526643564708414950">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone number:
(212) 637-4325.
<bullet> Ashley Miller, Matt Spencer, and Jennifer Edwards, U.S.
EPA Headquarters, email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#066b6f6a6a63742867756e6a637f4663766728616970"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="14797d787871663a75677c78716d547164753a737b62">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone
number: (202) 566-1084; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8cfffce9e2efe9fea2e1edf8f8e4e9fbcce9fceda2ebe3fa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7b080b1e15181e0955161a0f0f131e0c3b1e0b1a551c140d">[email protected]</span></a>,
telephone number: (202) 566-1851; email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#14717063756670673a7e717a7a7d727166547164753a737b62"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="482d2c3f293a2c3b66222d2626212e2d3a082d3829662f273e">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone number: (202) 566-1051.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
III. Deletion Procedures
IV. Basis for Full Site Deletion
I. Introduction
EPA is issuing a proposed rule to delete one site from the NPL and
requests public comments on this proposed action. EPA will accept
comments on the proposal to delete the site for thirty (30) days after
publication of this document in the Federal Register.
The NPL constitutes Appendix B of 40 CFR part 300 which is the NCP,
which EPA created under section 105 of the CERCLA statute of 1980, as
amended. EPA maintains the NPL as those sites that appear to present a
significant risk to public health, welfare, or the environment. Sites
on the NPL may be the subject of remedial actions financed by the
Hazardous Substance Superfund (Fund). As described in 40 CFR
300.425(e)(3) of the NCP, a site deleted from the NPL remains eligible
for Fund-financed remedial action if future conditions warrant such
actions.
Section II. of this document explains the criteria for deleting
sites from the NPL. Section III. of this document discusses procedures
that EPA is using for this action. Section IV. of this document
discusses the site proposed for deletion and demonstrates how it meets
the deletion criteria, including reference documents with the rationale
and data principally relied upon by the EPA to determine that the
Superfund response is complete.
II. NPL Deletion Criteria
The NCP establishes the criteria that EPA uses to delete sites from
the NPL. In accordance with 40 CFR 300.425(e), sites may be deleted
from the NPL where no further response is appropriate. In making such a
determination pursuant to 40 CFR 300.425(e), EPA will consider, in
consultation with the State, whether any of the following criteria have
been met:
i. Responsible parties or other persons have implemented all
appropriate response actions required;
ii. All appropriate Fund-financed response under CERCLA has been
implemented, and no further response action by responsible parties is
appropriate; or
iii. The remedial investigation has shown that the release poses no
significant threat to public health or the environment and, therefore,
the taking of remedial measures is not appropriate.
Pursuant to CERCLA section 121(c) and the NCP, EPA conducts five-
year reviews to ensure the continued protectiveness of remedial actions
where hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remain at a
site above levels that allow for unlimited use and unrestricted
exposure. EPA conducts such five-year reviews even if a site is deleted
from the NPL. EPA may initiate further action to ensure continued
protectiveness at a deleted site if new information becomes available
that indicates it is appropriate. As described in 40 CFR 300.425(e)(3),
whenever there is a significant release from a site deleted from the
NPL, the deleted site may be restored to the NPL without application of
the hazard ranking system.
III. Deletion Procedures
The following procedures apply to the deletion of the sites in this
proposed rule:
(1) EPA consulted with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico before
developing this Notice of Intent for deletion.
(2) EPA has provided the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 30 working
days for review of site deletion documents prior to publication of it
today.
(3) In accordance with the criteria discussed above, EPA has
determined that no further response is appropriate.
(4) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, through the PRDNER, has
concurred with the proposed deletion action.
(5) Concurrently with the publication of this Notice of Intent for
deletion in the Federal Register, a notice is being distributed to
local elected officials and the surrounding community, via news
releases, listservs, social media, and the site's web page. The notices
announce the 30-day public comment period concerning the proposed
action for deletion.
(6) EPA placed copies of documents supporting the proposed deletion
in the deletion docket and made these items available for public
inspection and copying at the Regional Records Center identified above.
If comments are received within the 30-day comment period on this
document, EPA will evaluate and respond accordingly to the comments
before making a final decision to delete the site. If necessary, EPA
will prepare a Responsiveness Summary to address any significant public
comments received. After the public comment period, if EPA determines
it is still appropriate to delete the site, EPA will publish a final
Notice of Deletion in the Federal Register. Public notices, public
submissions and copies of the Responsiveness Summary, if prepared, will
be made available to interested parties and included in the site
information repositories listed above.
[[Page 43990]]
Deletion of a site from the NPL does not itself create, alter, or
revoke any individual's rights or obligations. Deletion of a site from
the NPL does not in any way alter EPA's right to take enforcement
actions, as appropriate. The NPL is designed primarily for
informational purposes and to assist EPA management. Section
300.425(e)(3) of the NCP states that the deletion of a site from the
NPL does not preclude eligibility for future response actions, should
future conditions warrant such actions.
IV. Basis for Full Site Deletion
The site to be deleted from the NPL, the location of the site, and
docket number with information including reference documents with the
rationale and data principally relied upon by the EPA to determine that
the Superfund response is complete are specified in table 1. The NCP
permits activities to occur at a deleted site, or that media or parcel
of a partially deleted site, including operation and maintenance of the
remedy, monitoring, and five-year reviews. These activities for the
site are entered in table 1, if applicable, under Footnote such that:
1= site has continued operation and maintenance of the remedy; 2= site
receives continued monitoring; and 3= site five-year reviews are
conducted.
Table 1
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Site name City/county, state Type Docket No. Footnote
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Corozal Well.................... Corozal, PR........ Full............... EPA-HQ-OLEM-2025-1
247.
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Table 2 includes information concerning whether the full site is
proposed for deletion from the NPL or a description of the area, media
or Operable Units (OUs) of the NPL site proposed for partial deletion
from the NPL, and an email address to which public comments may be
submitted if the commenter does not comment using <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Table 2
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Full site deletion (full)
or media/parcels/
Site name description for partial Email address for public comments
deletion
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Corozal Well........................... Full...................... <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80e3e8e1e3efeeaee8e5f2ede5f3c0e5f0e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="83e0ebe2e0ecedadebe6f1eee6f0c3e6f3e2ade4ecf5">[email protected]</span></a>.
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EPA maintains the NPL as the list of sites that appear to present a
significant risk to public health, welfare, or the environment.
Deletion from the NPL does not preclude further remedial action.
Whenever there is a significant release from a site deleted from the
NPL, the deleted site may be restored to the NPL without application of
the hazard ranking system. Deletion of a site from the NPL does not
affect responsible party liability in the unlikely event that future
conditions warrant further actions.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 300
Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Chemicals,
Hazardous substances, Hazardous waste, Intergovernmental relations,
Natural resources, Oil pollution, Penalties, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Superfund, Water pollution control, Water
supply.
Authority: 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 9601-9657; E.O.
13626, 77 FR 56749, 3 CFR, 2013 Comp., p. 306; E.O. 12777, 56 FR
54757, 3 CFR, 1991 Comp., p. 351; E.O. 12580, 52 FR 2923, 3 CFR,
1987 Comp., p. 193.
Steven Cook,
Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Land and Emergency
Management.
[FR Doc. 2025-17505 Filed 9-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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