The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the Biden-Harris administration will allocate an additional USD1bn for the Superfund cleanups, as reported by Reuters on February 10. This additional funding will support the cleaning up of toxic waste sites across the country and will be used to enhance the efforts of the Superfund program. The funds will be provided through the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law, which aims to modernize the country’s infrastructure and create jobs. This funding will support the EPA’s efforts to clean up toxic waste sites, prioritize the most hazardous sites, and engage communities throughout the process.
The Superfund program is a federal program administered by the EPA that is responsible for cleaning up hazardous waste sites across the US. The program was created in 1980 to address the country’s most complex and hazardous waste sites, and is designed to protect human health and the environment. The Superfund program works to clean up these sites in a variety of ways, including removing contaminated soil, cleaning up contaminated groundwater, and treating contaminated surface water. The EPA also works with responsible parties to clean up the sites, and takes enforcement actions against those who caused the contamination. Once a site has been cleaned up, the EPA works with communities and other stakeholders to reuse the site for beneficial purposes. This can include redevelopment for commercial or residential purposes, as well as open space and recreation.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-epa-announces-1-billion-new-superfund-cleanups-2023-02-10/