Superfund, U.S. government fund intended to pay for the cleanup of hazardous-waste dump sites and spills . The 1980 act creating it called for financing by a combination of general revenues and taxes on polluting industries.
What is the purpose of the Superfund?
Superfund’s goals are to: Protect human health and the environment by cleaning up contaminated sites ; Make responsible parties pay for cleanup work; Involve communities in the Superfund process; and.
Why the Superfund was created?
The federal Superfund program was created in December 1980 in response to serious threats across the country posed by toxic waste sites such as the infamous Love Canal landfill in Niagara Falls, NY . ... Unreliable funding of the Superfund program has led to an unstable program.
Why was the EPA Superfund created?
House and Senate committees hold extensive hearings on the dangers posed by toxic waste dumps and major bills are introduced to create a ‘superfund’ for dealing with these dangers in both houses of Congress.
Why was the Superfund Act passed?
CERCLA stands for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known also as Superfund. It was passed in 1980 in response to some alarming and decidedly unacceptable hazardous waste practices and management going on in the 1970s .
Why are they called Superfunds?
Superfund is the common name given to the law called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 , or CERCLA. Superfund is also the trust fund set up by Congress to handle emergency and hazardous waste sites needing long-term cleanup.
Where does Superfund money come from?
The Superfund trust fund receives money from three major sources annually: • $553 million from petroleum excise taxes ; • $273 million from chemical feedstock excise taxes; and • $504 million from environmental income taxes.
What is the largest Superfund site in the US?
The 586 square mile Hanford Site is home to one of the largest Superfund cleanups in the nation.
Is Love Canal still a Superfund site?
| Love Canal | Construction completed 29 September 1998 | Deleted 30 September 2004 | List of Superfund sites |
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Why are Superfund sites bad?
In addition to increased levels of childhood cancer and birth defects, exposure to hazardous substances released from Superfund sites has been correlated with higher rates of suspension from school and repeating grade levels , lower standardized test scores, and decreased cognitive functioning.
Does the Superfund still exist?
There are 40,000 federal Superfund sites across the country , and approximately 1,600 of those sites have been listed on the National Priorities List (NPL). ... Despite its name, the program has suffered from under-funding, and Superfund NPL cleanups have decreased to a mere 8 in 2014, out of over 1,200.
Where does Superfund waste go?
It’s up to companies responsible for cleaning the sites to vet the facilities where they send waste . The result is that waste is routinely shipped and treated at plants with well-documented histories of environmental violations.
What is currently true of the EPA Superfund?
What is currently true of the EPA Superfund? It is used to clean up sites that are currently leaking or have the potential to leak hazardous material .
Is the Superfund Act effective?
Over the past three decades, CERCLA has successfully cleaned and restored close to 400 contaminated sites once listed on its national priorities list (NPL), including the infamous Love Canal site. In 2017 , then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt established the Superfund Task Force.
What is the most common contaminant found in brownfields?
Some of the most common contaminants identified at Brownfield sites are from fuels such as oil, gasoline, diesel and kerosene from underground storage tanks, floor drains, outside storage of barrels and machinery, and cleaning solvents.
What law is associated with the Superfund program?
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) , commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress on December 11, 1980.
