Superfund's Future

Chapter One

Introduction

 

The debate about whether and how to reauthorize the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)—better known as Superfund—has continued relatively unabated since shortly after the law's last major reauthorization, in 1986.¹ Although the underlying debate concerns CERCLA's liability provisions and cleanup standards, over the past few years disagreement has focused on the question: When will the Superfund program start to wind down? More specifically, when will a decrease in activity at National Priorities List (NPL) sites—the sites where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can fund long-term cleanups from the Hazardous Substance Superfund (Trust Fund)—translate ...