Reauthorization of the Superfund law continues to be a major source of controversy among political leaders and environmental activists. Some seek a major overhaul of the statute, arguing that considerable cleanup still needs to be done. Others oppose major changes, asserting that cleanup is almost complete. One of the most contentious issues in the debate is whether the taxes that once stocked the Superfund Trust Fund need to be reinstated. The answer depends in large part on how much money EPA will need to implement the Superfund program. To inform this discussion, the U.S. Congress asked Resources for the Future (RFF) to estimate the program's future costs. The results of this research are included in Superfund's Future, a book that will become an essential reference for all participants in the debate about one of the nation's most controversial environmental programs.
Biography
Katherine Probst is a senior fellow at Resources for the Future. She is the coauthor of Footing the Bill for Superfund Cleanups: Who Pays and How?, Long-Term Stewardship and the Nuclear Weapons Complex: The Challenge Ahead, and The Evolution of Hazardous Waste Programs: Lessons from Eight Countries. David M. Konisky is a research associate at Resources for the Future. His recent work has been published in The Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Also contributing to Superfund's Future are Robert Hersh, research assistant Michael B. Batz, and consultant Katherine D. Walker.
'The most important study ever undertaken about the future of Superfund.' Timothy Fields Jr., former assistant administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 'The most thorough examination of the future of the Superfund program. Required reading for anyone with an interest in this complex environmental issue.' Karen Florini, senior attorney, Environmental Defense
