Reauthorization of the Superfund law continues to be a major source of controversy among political leaders and environmental activists. Some seek a major overhaul of the statute, arguing that considerable cleanup still needs to be done. Others oppose major changes, asserting that cleanup is almost complete. One of the most contentious issues in the debate is whether the taxes that once stocked the Superfund Trust Fund need to be reinstated. The answer depends in large part on how much money EPA will need to implement the Superfund program. To inform this discussion, the U.S. Congress asked Resources for the Future (RFF) to estimate the program's future costs. The results of this research are included in Superfund's Future, a book that will become an essential reference for all participants in the debate about one of the nation's most controversial environmental programs.

One in four Americans lives within 3 miles of a hazardous waste site (HWS). To clean up the highly contaminated sites, the Congress established the Superfund program in 1980. EPA has identified more than 47,000 HWS potentially requiring cleanup actions and has placed more than 1,500 of the most seriously contaminated sites on its National Priorities List (NPL). Cleanup efforts at NPL sites are expensive and can take many years. To fund program activities, a trust fund was financed by taxes on crude oil and certain chemicals, as well as an environ. tax assessed on corp. This report examines the: (1) sources of funding for the Superfund trust fund; and (2) allocation of these resources to Superfund program activities. Illustrations.

Some of the nation's estuaries, lakes and other water bodies contain contaminated sediments that can adversely affect fish and wildlife and may then find their way into people's diets. Dredging is one of the few options available for attempting to clean up contaminated sediments, but it can uncover and re-suspend buried contaminants, creating additional exposures for wildlife and people. At the request of Congress, EPA asked the National Research Council (NRC) to evaluate dredging as a cleanup technique. The book finds that, based on a review of available evidence, dredging's ability to decrease environmental and health risks is still an open question. Analysis of pre-dredging and post-dredging at about 20 sites found a wide range of outcomes in terms of surface sediment concentrations of contaminants: some sites showed increases, some no change, and some decreases in concentrations. Evaluating the potential long-term benefits of dredging will require that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency step up monitoring activities before, during and after individual cleanups to determine whether it is working there and what combinations of techniques are most effective.

A complete and detailed look at the Federal Superfund Program for cleaning up toxic waste sites. Focuses on early identification. Addresses the assessment of potential National Priorities List (NPL) sites and the initial response to reduce near term threats at all NPL sits and prevent sites from getting worse. Analyzes the ways in which the Superfund program may become more effective.