Comprehensive Environmental Response remedial action

In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Commonly known as Superfund, the program under this law is focused on the remediation of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Since 1980, Superfund has assessed nearly 44,400 sites. To date, 33,100 sites have been removed from the Superfund inventory to aid their economic redevelopment, and 11,300 sites remain active with the site assessment program or are included in the National Priorities List (NPL) for the implementation of remedial actions. By September 2000, 1509 sites were included in the NPL with ongoing or completed cleanup activities. 

The solvent waste is generated due to cleanup or other remedial action taken under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended. 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This is an attempt to deal with the many waste sites that exist across the nation. It covers remedial action, including the establishment of a National Priorities List to identify those sites that should have a high priority for remediation. This act authorizes the cleanup of hazardous waste sites, including those containing pesticides, that threaten human health or the environment. If they can be identified, the US EPA is authorized to recover cleanup costs from those parties responsible for the contamination. CERCLA provides a fund to pay for the cleanup of contaminated sites when no other parties are able to conduct the cleanup. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) (1986) is an amendment to CERCLA that enables the US EPA to identify and cleanup inactive hazardous waste sites and to recover reimbursement of cleanup costs. One section of CERCLA authorizes the EPA to act whenever there is a release or substantial threat of release of a hazardous substance or any pollutant or contaminant that may present an imminent or substantial danger to the public health or welfare into the environment. 

The third series of acts, commonly referred to as CERCLA/superfund acts, provided the federal government with the authority to respond to (l.e., clean up) uncontrolled release of hazardous waste. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted In 1977. CERCLA applies to the release or threat of release Into the environment of any hazardous substance. The broad scope of this statute is Indicated by the fact that "environmental" Includes all environmental media, and "hazardous substance" Is broadly defined to include not only RCRA "hazardous waste" but a list of substances identified by ERA in 40 CFR 302, which now includes over 700 hazardous substances and over 1500 radionuclides. Whenever there is a release or threat of a release of a hazardous substance to the environment, EPA is authorized by the statute to undertake "removal" and/or "remedial" action. 

USA. There are a number of federal and state sets of guideline values. The US EPA federal soil screening levels were developed to help standardise and accelerate the evaluation and clean-up of contaminated soils at sites on the National Priorities List (NPL).21 The US EPA are clear that the soil screening levels (SSLs) are not national clean-up targets and exceeding them does not necessarily trigger the need for remedial action. Rather they were developed to screen out areas of a site on the NPL that do not require further action or study under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)—better known as the Superfund. The SSLs anticipate a future residential land use. 

In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) established a national fund (Superfund) to assist in remedial actions of cleanup of the uncontrolled waste sites created by the poor disposal practices of the past. 

Leachate. Landfills that release leachate into surface waters or underground drinking water sources can also be subject to the provisions of either the Clean Water Act (OWA) or the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Contaminants entering the ground-water, which are determined to be priority hazardous pollutants, require remedial action under either SDWA or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), referred to as the Superfund Law. ... 

This section provides an overview of the engineering technologies and applications that are currently applicable to the study and remediation of releases of hazardous wastes and constituents from RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) facilities and those sites which parallel Superfund sites. Activities which would be termed removal actions or expedited response actions under CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Recovery-Cleanup and Liability Act) are also covered in this section. Information presented in this section represent excerpts from document EPA/625/4-89/020 (September 1989). 

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