Credit: Mark Harris for NBC News Super Threats : Last in a series with The Texas Observer and NBC News about Superfund sites and climate change. The uber challenge facing the incoming Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency in its oversight of 1,570 hazard waste sites is best summed in a name that’s become synonymous with the daunting task: Superfund. The “Superfund” started out as a trust fund created by Congress in 1980 to finance cleanups, paid for by billions of dollars in taxes on the chemical and petroleum industries. Congress allowed the tax to expire 25 years ago. Now, with the trust fund empty, Superfund has become the name of a drastically underfunded federal program responsible for ensuring the industries responsible for these toxic sites do the cleanup, if possible. The EPA shoulders the financial burden using budgeted funds at sites where responsible entities no longer exist or can’t be found. Sign up for our newsletters to get more stories like this from ICN delievered straight to your inbox. President-elect Joe Biden will inherit 34 Superfund sites for which no reliable funding for cleanup exists, the largest backlog of “unfunded” sites in 15 years. The backlog has steadily grown […]
Activists Eye a Superfund Reboot Under Biden With a Focus on Environmental Justice and Climate Change

Latest Articles
Tundra Buggy to go electric
Posted: 3:00 AM CST Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 Click here to view original web page at Tundra Buggy to go electric
‘It’s in our DNA’: tiny Costa Rica wants the world to take giant climate...
The road to Kunming About this content When it comes to the environment, few countries rival Costa Rica in terms of action and...
You can make this 3D-printed, bioplastic face shield at home
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many issues of waste into the spotlight, starting with the sheer quantity of petroleum-based personal protective equipment (PPE)...
Ten rescued orangutans returned to the wild in Indonesia
Ten orangutans have been released back into the wild in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, with helicopters used to ferry the critically...
Join youth from across the world in this two-day challenge to create solutions to...
No coding experience needed! Solutions don't have to be app or website-based! About the Challenge: Climate change is among the most urgent issues of...
Water-powered shower head speaker made from recycled plastic wins honors at CES
Whether it’s podcasts, music or audiobooks, humans are streaming audio content now more than ever. Now, thanks to wireless tech company Ampere, the...