This month, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) marks its 50th anniversary, we also celebrate one of the cornerstone environmental laws– the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) – commonly known as Superfund. Enacted on December 11, 1980, Superfund authorized the nation’s signature land contamination cleanup program and has served as a model of environmental protection around the globe. Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has re-emerged as a priority to fulfill the Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment by addressing environmental issues communities across the country are facing on a daily basis.
“In honor of Superfund’s 40th anniversary and EPA’s 50th anniversary this month, we’re taking this opportunity to look back on the events that spurred the program’s creation and its evolution,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The Trump Administration has reinvigorated the Superfund program, deleting all or part of 82 sites from the National Priorities List and returning the land to surrounding communities for safe and productive reuse.”
During the last four years alone, EPA has deleted all or part of 82 sites from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), the same number of deletions in the eight years prior (2008-2016). In Fiscal Year 2020, the Agency deleted all or part of 27 sites from the NPL. This marks the third year in a row that EPA has deleted a historically high number of Superfund sites, sending a clear message that protecting human health and the environment by addressing contaminated land across the country is a priority and paving the way for redeveloping Superfund sites into community assets.
“The Superfund program has been a cornerstone in EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment during the past 40 years,” said EPA Assistant Administrator Peter Wright. “During the past four years, we have emphasized the importance that accelerating and completing Superfund remedial work has on increasing the quality of life and revitalizing communities, and we celebrate the amazing work of our emergency responders who have tirelessly aided the recovery effort in communities impacted by natural disasters and releases.”