Negotiating PPAs at Superfund Sites and Clarification of PPA Guidance
Joint EPA and DOJ memorandum strongly encourages and supports ongoing regional efforts to clean up and resolve liability at Superfund sites that can then, in appropriate circumstances, be available for productive reuse. Issued 1/10/2001.
After completion of a federal cleanup under the EPA Superfund program, many Superfund sites have been returned to beneficial use. Historically, sites often remained underutilized or abandoned due to concerns of lenders, developers, and the general public about potential liability or residual contamination. As part of its overall effort to reform the Superfund program, the Agency has made a concerted effort to address this issue.
This document is part of a continuing EPA Region, OSRE, and DOJ effort to support and build on the EPA’s current successes in cleaning up contaminated sites so they can be returned to productive uses. One vehicle for facilitating the safe reuse of sites is Prospective Purchaser Agreements (PPAs).
On August 10, 2022, EPA and DOJ issued a new "Model Administrative Settlement Agreement for Removal Action by Prospective Purchaser." The current model is available for download in Word format from the prospective purchaser agreement category of the Cleanup Enforcement Model Documents Database.