In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), better known as the Superfund Act. This law gives the Federal government the authority to respond to chemical emergencies and to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. The Superfund program addresses both short and long term risks, from toxic chemical spills and threats to the permanent cleanup and rehabilitation of abandoned hazardous waste sites. Superfund also provides authority for the prosecution of those responsible for the releases of hazardous waste and a trust fund to subsidize cleanup when no responsible party can be identified. Major accomplishments include increasing community participation and public/private partnerships, enhancing cleanup effectiveness, and consistency and streamlining Superfund enforcement.

Recommended EPA Web pages

• Superfund: Cleaning Up the Nation's Hazardous Waste Sites
  Superfund is the Federal government's program to clean up the nation's uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
• Supefund: Basic Information
  This page provides an overview of the Superfund program.
• Superfund Frequently Asked Questions
  FAQ on Superfund, Oil Spills, Underground Storage Tanks, Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office.

Brownfields
Partnerships, Sustainable Redevelopment, Targeted Brownfields Assessments

Cleanup Legal Aspects
Cases and Settlements, Compliance, Enforcement, Guidance, Legislation, Liability, Public Comment, Regulations, Tax Incentives

Cleanup Technology
Characterization and Monitoring, Remediation

Storage Tanks
Abandoned Properties, Leaks and Spills

Superfund
Community Involvement, Cost Recovery, National Priorities List (NPL), Potentially Responsible Parties, Records of Decision (RODs), Remedy Decisions, Risk Assessment, Sites, Superfund Cleanup Process