EPA Supports Superfund "Polluter Pays" Provision
June 22, 2010 | EPA
The Lawyers' Committee is pleased by the EPA's June 21st announcement supporting the reinstatement of the Superfund Tax. In our 2008 report, Protecting Vulnerable Coastal Communities: Meaningful Political Action and Strategies for Environmental Justice After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Lawyers' Committee recommended that Congress reinstate this tax. According to a 2006 U.S. PIRG press release, since 2004 taxpayers had $3.8 billion to clean up after polluters.
Hazardous waste sites are disproportionately located in communities of color and low-income communities. They bear the unfair burden of toxic pollution and the resulting health and economic costs. They should not ever be forced to pay for the wrongdoing of others. The Superfund Tax will hold polluters accountable for cost of cleaning up these hazardous sites and protecting our communities.
