Cleanup
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to establish requirements for closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites. Under their CERCLA authority, commonly referred to as Superfund, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a National Priorities List (NPL) for sites with known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation.
The EPA evaluated Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) Area IV to determine if it qualified for inclusion on the NPL. Using a Hazard Ranking System (HRS) the EPA found that Area IV did not qualify to be listed on the NPL. The results of this analysis are summarized in a December 2003 fact sheet.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the EPA support the use of non-time-critical (NTC) removal actions to act quickly and remove contaminated facilities. The DOE's authority to conduct CERCLA non-time critical removal actions to decontaminate and decommission it's facilities is provided through Executive Order 12580, Superfund Implementation, that delegates authority for response action at facilities under the DOE jurisdiction, custody, or control. The EPA and DOE issued a joint policy in May 1995 establishing the approach for DOE removal actions based on their delegated authority. Also see the DOE fact sheet for more information.