Cleaner Lands
Superfund
President Bush is committed to the "polluter pays" principle, which requires the parties responsible for a
Superfund site to pay for the full cost of cleanup. Approximately 70 percent of Superfund sites are paid for
by responsible parties. In cases where the responsible party either cannot be found or is no longer in
business, the Superfund pays for cleanup; currently, about 30 percent of Superfund sites are such "orphan"
sites. EPA is conducting a management review and has asked the National Advisory Council on Environmental
Policy and Technology to identify ways to improve Superfund, maximize resources available for cleanups, and
effectively address the largest, more complex sites.
Results:
- From FY 2001 through FY 2003, 129 Superfund sites completed cleanup (47 in FY 2001; 42 in FY 2002; 40 in
FY 2003).
- The Administration is now addressing the largest, most complex sites that remain on the National
Priorities List.
- Of the $203 million in civil penalties recovered by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2003, $4.3 million
was assessed for violations of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA), the law that governs Superfund.
- The President's FY 2005 budget provides $1.4 billion for the Superfund, a $124 million (10 percent)
increase over the 2004 appropriations. This increase includes a nearly 50 percent boost targeted for the
Superfund's remedial program construction budget, which will allow 8-12 additional clean-up starts in 2005 and
a similar number of additional completions by 2006.
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