Superfund is the shorthand name often used to refer to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). CERCLA is codified in 42 U.S.C. Chapter 103. It is a large piece of legislation that gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the ability to intervene in managing land contaminated with high levels of hazardous materials.
The shorthand "Superfund" is used because Congress created a trust fund called the Hazardous Substance Superfund to assist the EPA with managing and cleaning up hazardous waste sites that are subject to CERCLA. The EPA uses funds from the trust to facilitate cleanup if the party responsible for the contamination cannot be located or is unable to pay for the cleanup.
[Last updated in September of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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