What regulation was established to handle hazardous substances, excluding oil?

The regulation established to handle hazardous substances, excluding oil, is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This act, enacted in 1980, was designed specifically to address the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and to provide a federal "Superfund" to finance responses to such environmental emergencies. CERCLA authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify responsible parties for cleanup and to ensure that the sites pose no further risk to public health or the environment.

While other acts listed may regulate aspects of hazardous materials or oil, CERCLA uniquely focuses on a broad range of hazardous substances and establishes liability for their cleanup. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act deals with the management of solid and hazardous waste but does not specifically focus on the cleanup of contaminated sites like CERCLA does. The Oil Pollution Act primarily deals with oil spills and their cleanup, while the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act regulates the transportation of hazardous materials but does not cover their remediation or cleanup. Therefore, CERCLA stands out as the key regulation for managing hazardous substances outside the realm of oil spills.