United States Office of Publication 9230.0-OSFSh
Environmental Protection Solid Waste and September 1992
Agency Emergency Response
&ER& Superfund Fact Sheet:
An Overview
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Hazardous Site Control Division (5203G)
Our nation's hazardous waste problems first gained widespread attention in the
late 1970s. Incidents such as the contamination of Love Canal in Niagara Falls,
New York, sparked widespread concern over hazardous waste sites.
In response to this growing concern, Congress passed the Comprehensive Envi-
ronmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980.
This law, commonly known as Superfund, taxed the chemical and petroleum
industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond to releases or threat-
ened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or wel-
fare or the environment. Over five years, $1.6 billion were collected in a Trust
Fund for cleaning up abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for running the
Superfund program.
On October 17, 1986, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
(SARA) was signed into law. SARA increased the Trust Fund to $8.5 billion
over five years and strengthened EPA's authority to conduct clean-up and
enforcement activities. As of March 1990, Congress had appropriated $7.1
billion to the fund, $3.6 billion of which had already been spent on clean-up
actions.
Who pays for EPA always tries to make those responsible for contaminating a site pay for its
hazardous waste cleanup. This may involve taking legal action to force Potentially Responsible
Site Cleanups? Parties (PRPs) to clean up hazardous sites or to pay back the Federal govern-
ment. If those responsible cannot be found, or are unable to pay cleanup costs,
EPA will cover the costs.
PRPs for a particular site include the site's past and current owner(s) and
operator(s), the original hazardous waste generators), and the transporters of
hazardous waste to the site. PRPs can be individuals, States, localities, or
Federal agencies.
What types Of CERCLA authorizes two kinds of response actions:
response actions are
there? • Short-term removal actions address releases or threats of releases which may
present an imminent and substantial danger to the public health or welfare.
• Long-term remedial actions permanently and significantly reduce the dangers
associated with actual or potential releases of hazardous substances that are
serious but not immediately life threatening. Remedial responses can be
conducted only at sites on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL).
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Removal and remedial actions include, but are not limited to:
• Destroying or treating the hazardous substances on site.
• Containing the substances so they can remain on site and present no further threat
• Transporting the materials to an EPA-approved, licensed hazardous waste
facility for treatment, containment, or destruction.
• Treating contaminated ground water, halting further spread of the contami-
nants, or providing an alternate source of drinking water.
What is the EPA's operation of Superfund is based on six principles:
Superfund strategy?
• Control Immediate Threats First.
• Clean Up Worst Long-Term Contamination Problems First.
• Emphasize Enforcement to Induce Responsible Party Cleanup. Use a
broad array of administrative and legal tools to induce private party cleanup
of sites. This means that more sites are cleaned up than could be cleaned up
using Trust Fund monies alone.
• Seek New Technologies for More Effective Cleanup. Expand research
and field efforts to develop additional treatment technologies which result
in permanent cleanup.
• Improve Efficiency of Program Operations. Integrate lessons learned in
past cleanups to speed and improve future cleanups.
• Encourage Full Participation by Communities. Involve citizens in clean-
up activities.
What has Superfund By January 1992, Superfund reported the following successes:
accomplished?
• Preliminary Assessments had been completed at 32,768 sites. These in-
volved reviewing any available documents pertaining to a site to determine
whether further clean-up was necessary.
• Site Inspections had been conducted at 15,772 sites. These involved col-
lecting information about sites where potential problems may exist.
• Removal Actions had occurred at 2,225 sites.
• Remedial Actions had been undertaken at 388 sites.
• Remedial Actions had been completed at over 100 sites.
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EPA is developing the Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM) to
make hazardous waste cleanups more timely and efficient. This will be
accomplished through more focus on the front end of the process and
better integration of all Superfund program components. The approach
involves:
• A continuous process for assessing site-specific conditions and the
need for action.
• Cross-program coordination of response planning.
• Prompt risk reduction through early action (removal or remedial).
• Appropriate cleanup of long-term environmental problems.
SACM will operate within the existing statutory and regulatory structure.
As SACM develops, there may be modification of certain policies noted
in this fact sheet. However, overall priorities will remain the same: deal
with the worst problems first; aggressively pursue enforcement opportuni-
ties; and involve the public in every phase of the process.
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Regional Superfund Community Relations Offices
Region 1
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 1 (RPA-74)
#1 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02203
(617) 565-3425
Region 2
Community Relations Branch
External Programs Division
EPA Region 2 (2-EPD)
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212)264-7054
Region 3
Superfund Community Relations
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 3 (3EA21)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9905
Region 4
Superfund Community Relations
Waste Management Division
EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2643
Region 5
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 5
Metcalfe Federal Bldg.
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-2073
Region 6
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 6 (6H-SS)
1445 Ross Avenue
12th Floor, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75270
(214) 655-2240
Region 7
Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City , KS 66101
(913) 551-7003
Region 8
Community Relations Branch
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 8 (80EA)
1 Denver Place
999 18th Street, Suite 1300
Denver, CO 80202
(303)294-1144
Region 9
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 9 (T-l-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)744-2178
Region 10
Community Relations Section
Hazardous Waste Division
EPA Region 10 (HW117)
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-6901
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (5203G)
Washington, DC 20460
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