What does the Superfund established under CERCLA primarily address?

The Superfund established under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) primarily addresses the cleanup of hazardous waste sites, particularly those where no responsible party can be identified or held accountable for the pollution. When a hazardous substance is released into the environment, it poses significant risks to public health and the ecosystem. The Superfund program provides the federal government with the authority to respond to these hazardous spills and facilitate the cleanup process. It enables the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to mitigate these environmental hazards effectively. This is particularly critical in situations where clean-up needs to happen urgently, and identifying a liable party might not be feasible due to insolvency, lack of knowledge, or the passage of time.

In contrast, education programs on pollution focus on raising awareness and promoting knowledge about environmental issues but do not engage in direct remediation of sites. Preventing hazardous waste generation is essential, but it is more aligned with regulatory frameworks aimed at reducing production rather than handling the aftermath of contamination. Regulating air quality standards pertains to pollution control measures for airborne contaminants, which falls outside the specific scope of the Superfund program, which is concerned with hazardous waste cleanup at contaminated sites.