Answer
These funds will be used to address critical environmental issues affecting educational facilities, supporting the Bureau's long-term goal of improving the safety and functionality of facilities for clients. Environmental issues that will be addressed are those that pose a direct threat to the safety of the facility users; correcting them is crucial.
Crucial issues include: performing required asbestos re-inspections of schools under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and conducting asbestos abatements in those cases where students may be exposed to friable asbestos; continuing underground storage tank remediation of soil and groundwater for sites where USTs were removed to meet the EPA 1998 UST closure deadline; upgrading or replacing leaking heating oil tanks; conducting soil and groundwater remediation where needed; upgrading or replacing above ground storage tanks and developing spill prevention plans; conducting lead-based paint testing and abatement projects, particularly at educational facilities attended by younger children whose development is most affected by exposure to lead; and, performing water and waste water treatment system upgrades to ensure that users of these facilities have safe water to drink and are not exposed to sewage discharges.
Other efforts required include replacing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) containing fluorescent light ballasts that are in critical danger of leaking PCBs into the occupied spaces of educational buildings and removing other hazardous wastes from schools. In addition, funds will be used for required environmental corrective actions at education facilities that are identified by the Bureau's environmental auditing program. All of these corrective actions are required by EPA statute or regulation or are necessary to protect the health of school children, educational employees, and visitors to educational facilities.
