How did the U.S. Superfund program help clean up hazardous-waste sites?

The U.S. Superfund program, established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980, was created to address the remediation of abandoned and dangerous hazardous-waste sites.12

The program facilitates cleanups through the following mechanisms:

• Site Identification and Prioritization: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for identifying the most hazardous sites and maintaining a list of those requiring remediation.13
• Polluter Accountability: The EPA compels parties responsible for the pollution to pay for the cleanup costs.1
• Trust Fund Utilization: When responsible parties cannot be identified or are unable to pay, the Superfund—a trust fund financed by general revenues and taxes on polluting industries—covers the costs of the cleanup. The government may subsequently sue for reimbursement.12
• Procedural Efficiency: To address historical challenges regarding mismanagement and inefficiency, the program streamlined its procedures, leading to the completion of cleanups at hundreds of sites by the early 21st century.1

While the program has provided billions of dollars for remediation, the scale of contamination remains a long-term environmental challenge.14