The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 has proven to be one of the most important environmental protection programs of all time. Also known as Superfund, this act brought about dramatic changes to the United States' environment. Superfund aimed to clean up hazardous waste sites in America and protect the health and safety of the general public. Over the years, Superfund legislation has authorized the government to help clean up toxic waste in a variety of effective ways that have ensured the well-being of its citizens. Overall, CERCLA has transformed hazardous waste sites, changed outdated disposal methods used by businesses, and raised environmental awareness. Although Superfund has improved the state of the environment since its inception, this has not always been the case. Before CERCLA, isolated landfills were the solution to the growing industrial waste problem prevalent in the 20th century. After the Industrial Revolution, companies, seeking to save money, began dumping their industrial waste on additional acres of their land, or even sending it to normal landfills that were not equipped to handle chemical waste .1 Over time, more and more companies found it acceptable to continue this practice and compounded the growing problem of improperly disposed waste. Due to this inappropriate dumping of hazardous waste, it was only a matter of time before the effects of human exposure to hazardous waste began to be seen among the general public. This exposure began to happen through various means. Perhaps one of the most famous and tragic incidents involving humans affected by hazardous waste is the Love Canal Di...... middle of paper ......ell . Simply put, Superfund caused the transformation of many of the most dangerous waste sites, the change in outdated methods of dealing with toxic waste, and acted as the trigger for a sea change in environmental consciousness. Additionally, Superfund really shined a light on the horrible way we were treating the environment by giving too much freedom to corporations to unsafely dispose of the most dangerous chemicals. Although the disasters that led to Superfund were tragic, they demonstrated that we must change our ways or face the consequences. Without Superfund, we would not have known how to solve growing environmental problems, which would have led to disasters dwarfing the first statutory disasters. Superfund has demonstrated, beyond doubt, that it is one of the most valuable and effective environmental programs ever implemented in the United States..

Essay / The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 has proven to be one of the most important environmental protection programs of all time. Also known as Superfund, this act brought about dramatic changes to the United States' environment. Superfund aimed to clean up hazardous waste sites in America and protect the health and safety of the general public. Over the years, Superfund legislation has authorized the government to help clean up toxic waste in a variety of effective ways that have ensured the well-being of its citizens. Overall, CERCLA has transformed hazardous waste sites, changed outdated disposal methods used by businesses, and raised environmental awareness. Although Superfund has improved the state of the environment since its inception, this has not always been the case. Before CERCLA, isolated landfills were the solution to the growing industrial waste problem prevalent in the 20th century. After the Industrial Revolution, companies, seeking to save money, began dumping their industrial waste on additional acres of their land, or even sending it to normal landfills that were not equipped to handle chemical waste .1 Over time, more and more companies found it acceptable to continue this practice and compounded the growing problem of improperly disposed waste. Due to this inappropriate dumping of hazardous waste, it was only a matter of time before the effects of human exposure to hazardous waste began to be seen among the general public. This exposure began to happen through various means. Perhaps one of the most famous and tragic incidents involving humans affected by hazardous waste is the Love Canal Di...... middle of paper ......ell . Simply put, Superfund caused the transformation of many of the most dangerous waste sites, the change in outdated methods of dealing with toxic waste, and acted as the trigger for a sea change in environmental consciousness. Additionally, Superfund really shined a light on the horrible way we were treating the environment by giving too much freedom to corporations to unsafely dispose of the most dangerous chemicals. Although the disasters that led to Superfund were tragic, they demonstrated that we must change our ways or face the consequences. Without Superfund, we would not have known how to solve growing environmental problems, which would have led to disasters dwarfing the first statutory disasters. Superfund has demonstrated, beyond doubt, that it is one of the most valuable and effective environmental programs ever implemented in the United States..

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