Cleaning Up Superfund

Abstract

The cleanup of hazardous wastes is the number one environmental concern of the American people. The government's response: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched its Superfund program, which was established by Congress in 1980 and reformed in 1986. But, though not even two decades old, the Superfund effort is now a major target of Congress in its regulatory reform efforts. There are two main sources of dissatisfaction: First, cleanups of hazardous wastes are expensive, averaging $25.7 million per site. Superfund expenditures increased from under $400 million in 1985 to over $1.4 billion in 1995 and continue to be above the $1 billion mark even after recent budgetary cutbacks. Estimates of the total cleanup costs incurred since the program's inception range from $20 billion to $30 billion, about half of which has been borne by private parties. Second, there is a general sense that these cleanup expenditures have not delivered much reduction in risk. Are we devoting our resources to eliminating truly substantial hazards or does Superfund squander society's resources on trivial risks?