Superfund Overview
Hazardous Waste Management Programs
On December 11, 1980, Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to create the Superfund hazardous substance cleanup program.The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) made numerous changes to CERCLA to expand the program’s scope. The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 extended the law’s taxing authority, which expired at the end of 1991 under SARA, through December 31, 1995. CERCLA’s impetus was the emerging realization that inactive hazardous waste sites presented great risk to public health and the environment in all parts of the Nation, that State and local governments did not have…
