Environmental Regulations Place New Responsibilities on Property Owners

Since the discovery of the Love Canal’s toxic waste problem in the mid-1970s, public and legislative awareness of the hazardous waste issue has grown dramatically. In response to the overall issue, Congress adopted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976 to regulate the generation, transport, and disposal of hazardous/toxic wastes. Within four years, however, it became apparent that neither RCRA nor other existing environmental laws adequately addressed the problem of active or inactive hazardous/toxic waste. Therefore, Congress adopted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), also referred to as “Superfund.”