U.S. EPA Announces $1 Billion Toward Cleanup of Superfund Hazardous Waste Sites

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a last wave of more than $1 billion for the cleanup of Superfund hazardous waste sites from coast to coast.

The most recent phase of Superfund cleanup is part of a total of $3.5 billion allocated for the work, a press release from the EPA said. More than $2 billion has already been deployed for cleanup activities at 150-plus sites on the Superfund National Priorities List.

“After three rounds of investments, EPA is delivering on President Biden’s full promise to invest in cleaning up America’s most contaminated Superfund sites,” said Janet McCabe, deputy EPA administrator, in the press release. “This final round of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has made it possible for EPA to initiate clean ups at every single Superfund site where construction work is ready to begin.”

The massive undertaking is part of the Biden administration’s Investing in America agenda and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The final wave will include 25 new cleanup projects and the continuation of 85 that are already underway.

The Superfund program — originally created with passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) by Congress in 1980 — assists with the repurposing of land like warehouses and parks that have been polluted by heavy industry so that it can be used for new economic development, reported Reuters.

“The law gave EPA the authority and funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is found or cannot afford the cleanup, EPA steps in to address risks to human health and the environment using funds appropriated by Congress, like the funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” the press release said.

According to McCabe, more than a quarter of Black and Hispanic people in the U.S. live within three miles from a Superfund site, three quarters of which are located in historically underserved communities.

“Every American deserves clean air to breathe and access to clean land and water, no matter their zip code,” said Delaware Senator Tom Carper in the press release.

Across the country, thousands of sites have been contaminated by the neglectful dumping, improper management or open abandonment of hazardous waste. The sites can be polluted by toxic chemicals from processing plants, manufacturing facilities, mining and landfills, and can put the health and well-being of urban and rural communities at risk.

“This funding will help improve people’s lives, especially those who have long been on the front lines of pollution,” McCabe told reporters, as Reuters reported.

The projects are part of the president’s Justice40 Initiative, which has a goal of 40 percent of certain federal investments going to disadvantaged communities that have been overburdened by pollution and marginalized by underinvestment.

Frank Pallone, U.S. Representative from New Jersey, told reporters that the funding will complement another $23 billion for Superfund to come from “polluters pay” taxes reinstated by the Inflation Reduction Act, reported Reuters.

“Reinstating that Superfund tax is really only about basic fairness that corporate polluters, not taxpayers, should have to pay to clean up the messes that they created,” Pallone said.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will help with the cleanup of sites from New Jersey — which has the most Superfund sites of any state — to Oregon.

“Superfund sites threaten public and environmental health across the country, but with today’s announcement, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to deliver on the promise we made to clean up backlogged sites and give our communities the peace of mind they deserve,” Pallone said in the press release. “For dozens of communities, today’s funding is a welcome assurance that help is on the way.”

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