CERCLA
Government & Politics abbreviation · US Law
| Stands for | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act |
|---|---|
| Categories | Government & Politics |
CERCLA stands for Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, a US law abbreviation also used in science.
Superfund law of 1980 that lets the EPA clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances and compel responsible parties to pay. Liability is strict, retroactive and joint and several, so current owners or past polluters can be held responsible for the full cost.
Example: The former owner was named a potentially responsible party under CERCLA for the landfill cleanup.
Usage notes
It was enacted in December 1980 after the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, New York. The worst sites are placed on the National Priorities List. Taxes on chemicals and petroleum originally financed the trust fund; they expired in 1995 and the chemical taxes were reinstated by the 2021 infrastructure law. It is widely called "Superfund".
Related abbreviations
More US law abbreviations
- BSA – Bank Secrecy Act
- C.F.R. – Code of Federal Regulations
- CAA – Clean Air Act
- CAN-SPAM – Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act
- CARES Act – Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
- CDA – Communications Decency Act
- CFAA – Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
- CHIPS Act – CHIPS and Science Act
- COBRA – Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
- COPPA – Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
- CRA – Civil Rights Act of 1964
- CSA – Controlled Substances Act