Question

What law was passed to cope with the problem of abandoned hazardous-waste sites? What are the main features of the legislation?

Short answer

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), or Superfund, was passed to address abandoned hazardous-waste sites. Its main features include facilitating clean-up of short-term and long-term hazardous substance releases, establishing the 'polluter pays' principle, and setting rules for closing and monitoring waste sites.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Law

The law passed to cope with the problem of abandoned hazardous-waste sites is called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) also known as Superfund.

Main Features - Part 1

The main features of Superfund are primarily comprised of two actions: Removal actions, which facilitate clean-up of short-term releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances; and remedial actions, aiming at sites with releases or threatened releases at long-term hazardous waste sites.

Main Features - Part 2

Another central aspect of Superfund is that it also established the 'polluter pays' principle, which implies that the entities responsible for pollution are obligated to bear the cost of clean-up. In case the responsible party cannot be identified or is insolvent, the fund provides for the cleanup.

Main Features - Part 3

Moreover, the CERCLA law has set rules for closing and checking waste sites, and for liability of people associated with those sites.