Policy Brief addressing an important health-related problem in the Essay

Policy Brief addressing an important health-related problem in the United States, which is How will the EPA clean up Superfund Sites if there are no funds - Essay Example ization, reinstating Superfund taxes, creating a management system and creating economic incentives for businesses to clean up are some of the options considered in this brief. Considering the financial problems faced by the EPA and the associated responsibilities of cleaning up hazardous wastes, it is important to consider how the EPA can have an efficient and effective clean up processes if there are no sufficient funds? A Superfund site is any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the EPA as a site for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment. For the Superfund cleanup process to begin, a potentially hazardous site is discovered in the initial stage, and the EPA is notified of possible releases of hazardous substances. Sites may be discovered by various parties, including citizens, State agencies, and EPA Regional offices. Following identification, these sites are entered into the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Information System (CERCLIS), which is the EPAs computerized inventory of potential hazardous substance release sites. The EPA then evaluates the potential for release of hazardous substances from the identified site using assessment, screening, remedial investigation, site listing process and construction completion. One of the top priorities for the EPA is to find those responsible for the contamination (the potentially responsible parties or PRPs) to clean up the site. If the PRP is not found, is not viable, or refuses to cooperate; EPA, the state, or tribe may cleanup the site using Superfund money. EPA may seek to recover the cost of clean up from those parties that do not cooperate.1 The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was created on December 11, 1980 to clean up the worst hazardous waste sites across the country and. recover the expenses from the PRPs.