Superfund and the Brownfields Issue

The Superfund program is the principal federal effort for cleaning up hazardous waste sites and protecting public health and the environment from releases of hazardous substances. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) established the program, and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorisation Act of 1986 (SARA) amended it. This book includes data and other pertinent information about CERCLA and the Superfund program, followed by a glossary. EPA defines brownfields as abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. FY1997 was the first year brownfields became a separate budgetary line item, at $37.7 million. For FY2000 the appropriation was $91.7 million. In the FY2001 budget, the Administration requested and was appropriated $91.6 million. The 106th Congress extended the brownfields cleanup tax incentive to December 31, 2003, and expanded it to make all brownfields certified by a state environmental agency eligible for tax break. Other brownfields bills introduced in the Congress appeared to confirm the general direction EPA has taken. Two Superfund reauthorisation bills were reported in the House, each of which contained a title on brownfields. The history, background and operations of the brownfields are described.