Which act is commonly referred to as CERCLA?

Which act is commonly referred to as CERCLA?

• A. Superfund (CERCLA)
• B. Clean Water Act
• C. Clean Air Act
• D. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Answer: (A)

CERCLA is the law commonly known as the Superfund because it created a funded program specifically to finance cleanup of abandoned or problematic hazardous waste sites and to hold responsible parties liable for the costs. Enacted in 1980, CERCLA—Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act—established the mechanisms for rapid cleanup and the trust fund that pays for it when parties cannot be identified or are unable to pay. That link to cleaning up contaminated sites is why the act is widely called the Superfund. Other acts mentioned focus on different environmental areas—water quality in surface waters, air pollution control, and hazardous waste management from creation to disposal—so they’re not what CERCLA is commonly called.

CERCLA is the law commonly known as the Superfund because it created a funded program specifically to finance cleanup of abandoned or problematic hazardous waste sites and to hold responsible parties liable for the costs. Enacted in 1980, CERCLA—Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act—established the mechanisms for rapid cleanup and the trust fund that pays for it when parties cannot be identified or are unable to pay. That link to cleaning up contaminated sites is why the act is widely called the Superfund. Other acts mentioned focus on different environmental areas—water quality in surface waters, air pollution control, and hazardous waste management from creation to disposal—so they’re not what CERCLA is commonly called.