The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking public comment on a new strategy that would make cleanups at hazardous waste sites greener, according to an EPA press release. The Superfund Green Remediation Strategy is an initial effort to outline key actions and related activities that can be undertaken to promote green remediation and to reduce energy use.

EPA is taking comment on action items that fall into three major categories: policy and guidance development, resource development and program implementation, and program evaluation. The strategy also contains several recommendations including a call for EPA to implement a series of near-term program initiatives, and to establish a baseline of Superfund energy usage. The public comment period is open for 60 days.

Reducing the demands placed on the environment during cleanup of contaminated land is a high priority for EPA. In addition to the new strategy, EPA has developed Principles for Greener Cleanups. The principles call for EPA’s cleanup programs to use greener approaches during any phase of site work and establish the goal of evaluating cleanup actions to ensure protection of human health and the environment while reducing the environmental footprint of cleanup activities, when feasible. Cleanups that do not satisfy threshold requirements for protectiveness, or do not meet site-specific cleanup objectives, are not considered greener cleanups.

For more information on the strategy, visit http://www.epa.gov/superfund/greenremediation.

For more information on Principles for Greener Cleanups, visit http://www.epa.gov/oswer/greencleanups/index.html.