Superfund Enforcement Authorities
The Superfund law (officially the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, "CERCLA") provides EPA with multiple authorities to ensure cleanup and payment for cleanup. The most commonly used enforcement authorities are:
Enforcement Authority | Summary | CERCLA |
---|---|---|
Responding to hazardous waste site situations / Liability for the costs of cleanup | EPA can do short or long-term cleanups
at a site and later recover
cleanup costs from potentially
responsible parties (PRPs) under section 107. EPA can also gather information, get access to a site, and seek penalties for non-compliance with orders and agreements. |
Section 104 |
PRPs doing the cleanup | EPA can order, or ask a
court to order, PRPs to cleanup
the site when an imminent or substantial endangerment
may exist.
EPA is authorized to seek penalties for non-compliance with order. This section also sets forth procedures for cost reimbursement. |
Section 106 |
Recovering EPA's cleanup costs | EPA can recover its cleanup costs from PRPs. Section 107 also describes defenses to liability and exemptions to liability. | Section 107 |
Federal Facilities | Requires federal agencies with National Priorities List (NPL) sites to investigate and clean up the contamination. (Additional information on EPA's enforcement authority at federal Superfund sites is available on the federal facilities cleanup enforcement page.) | Section 120 |
Settlements | EPA and the Department of Justice can enter into
settlement agreements (administrative orders on consent
or consent decrees) with PRPs to cleanup a site or
pay for cleanup conducted by EPA. This section also provides for a "special-notice" procedure before starting negotiations. |
Section 122 |
Superfund Enforcement Topics
- Enforcement Authorities
- Liability
- Finding Potentially
Responsible Parties - Notice Letters
- Negotiating Settlements
- Unilateral Orders
- Compliance/Penalties
- Recovering Cleanup Costs
Acronym Tips
- PRP - Potentially Responsible Party
- EPA's Terms of the Environment