What is the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act?
The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) was enacted in Washington State in 1986 to help protect the environment from hazardous substances. SARA established laws that require companies, individuals, and government agencies to clean up or limit the release of hazardous substances into the environment. It also created the Superfund, a government fund designed to finance the cleanup of the environment. SARA developed the National Priorities List (NPL), which identifies and ranks sites where hazardous substances have been released and creates a priority list to help determine which ones should be cleaned up first. It also assigned responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead the remediation of hazardous substances. In addition, SARA set safety standards and created a permitting system and inspection program that requires companies to prove they are complying with the standards before they can do business in Washington State. The law also created an administrative process for companies to challenge permits and penalties, as well as a dispute resolution process. Overall, SARA is a comprehensive law that seeks to protect the environment from hazardous substances in Washington State and in the US as a whole. By providing financial resources and creating permitting systems, SARA ensures that appropriate safety standards are enforced and that hazardous substances are cleaned up and disposed of properly.
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