The Biden administration's bolstered U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund program faces potential setbacks due to shortfalls in "polluter pays" taxes and looming political challenges.
Kevin Bogardus and Ellie Borst report for E&E News.
In short:
- Despite billions from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, "polluter pays" taxes are underperforming, putting future cleanup funding at risk.
- Election-year politics threaten to further diminish support for the Superfund program, with potential cuts looming under different political leadership.
- EPA's projected tax receipts have fallen significantly, impacting expectations and possibly leading to scaled-back cleanup operations.
Key quote:
"These sites present risks to public health, to economic recovery. In my time, before the Superfund tax, we had tremendous backlogs throughout the country."
— Mathy Stanislaus, former head of EPA’s solid waste office
Why this matters:
Superfund taxes, reinstated as part of climate and infrastructure legislation, are intended to make polluters pay for environmental cleanups. If these taxes fall short, the financial burden could shift back to taxpayers, affecting public health and economic recovery near contaminated sites.
