Texas Real Estate State Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your License Success!

The Superfund Act, formally known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), was enacted in 1980 to address the pressing need for cleaning up hazardous waste sites across the United States. This legislation established a federal program to identify, investigate, and remediate contaminated locations, ensuring that those responsible for this pollution are held accountable for the cleanup costs. The intention behind the Superfund Act was to protect public health and the environment from hazardous waste risks, providing the government with the necessary tools to manage and mitigate these damages effectively.

The name "Superfund" reflects the program's funding mechanism, which was initially supported by taxes levied on the chemical and petroleum industries. Through this act, the government could allocate resources to tackle hazardous waste sites even when the responsible parties could not be identified or were unable to pay for the cleanup. This legislation has played a crucial role in environmental protection, making it a foundational aspect of U.S. environmental regulation.