Governance & Policy
US Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
The 1980 United States law establishing the Superfund programme for cleaning up contaminated sites and holding polluters strictly liable.
Definition
CERCLA, commonly called Superfund, was enacted in 1980 after disasters such as Love Canal. It authorises the US Environmental Protection Agency to respond to hazardous substance releases, maintains the National Priorities List of the worst contaminated sites, and imposes strict, retroactive and joint-and-several liability on responsible parties, funded initially by industry taxes.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Governance & Policy
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 19 August 2026
- Also known as
- CERCLA · Superfund · Superfund Act
Overview
What it means
Abandoned toxic sites get cleaned up, and those who caused the pollution — even lawfully at the time — can be made to pay.
How it is used
Buyers commission Phase I environmental site assessments to manage liability; PRPs negotiate cleanup cost allocations; EPA runs long-term remediation.
Why it matters
It created the polluter-pays liability model for contaminated land that influenced regimes worldwide, and its sites remain active decades on.
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