Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA / Superfund, 1980)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
CERCLA, known as Superfund, was enacted in response to toxic waste disasters (e.g., Love Canal). It created a federal program to identify, clean up, and hold polluters financially responsible for contaminated sites.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
While RCRA (1976) regulated ongoing waste management, there was no framework to address abandoned or historic contamination. CERCLA filled that gap.