What is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)?
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted in 1980 by the U.S. Congress as a response to hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. The purpose of this Act is to protect public health and the environment from the dangers of released hazardous materials. CERCLA grants the federal government the authority to respond to, clean up, and pay for any damages caused by the release of hazardous materials and seek reimbursement from parties responsible for releasing these materials. In North Carolina, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) is responsible for implementing CERCLA in the state. They work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect human health and the environment from the release of hazardous materials. NCDEQ is in charge of responding to any hazardous materials released in North Carolina, along with assessing sites, assessing risk, and providing cleanup and reimbursement. CERCLA also includes a Superfund program, which is responsible for cleaning up sites containing hazardous materials that have been abandoned or for which no funding is available. Funding for CERCLA comes from the federal government and from any responsible parties for the release of hazardous materials. CERCLA is an important tool for the safety of the public and the environment in North Carolina. It provides the government with the ability to respond to hazardous releases, assess risk, and clean up any releases that may be dangerous or damaging to the environment or to human health.
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