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SUPERFUND
Lack of Funding Mechanism Delays Toxic Waste Cleanups
The Superfund program requires polluters to pay for the toxic waste problems they create. But when companies go bankrupt, the federal government takes on the cost. The federal government's toxic waste cleanup program is delaying projects across the country because funding is decreasing at a time when the number of sites and other demands are increasing.
The clean up delays have occurred because two taxes that contributed to the Superfund trust fund have expired:
- one on crude oil and certain chemicals, and
- one on larger corporations.
Both taxes expired in 1995 and have not been renewed by Congress. As a result, the money for cleanups comes from funds appropriated by Congress instead of from the trust fund. The EPA has asked for a $150 million increase in cleanup funds in 2002 and 2003 but received only $23 million in 2003. At $1.257 billion, the 2004 Superfund budget is lower than at any time since 1988. Congress needs to pass a law to establish a long term stable source of funding. Of the approximately 100 contaminated sites being cleaned up, 10 account for half of Superfund's long-term budget.
The Superfund program, managed by EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), is reportedly facing a budget shortfall of $250 million with almost 500 sites still waiting to be cleaned up. The 1980 Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), known as Superknown, has completed cleanup on 883 private sites.
