Does the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) regulate hazardous releases from sites operating prior to November 1980?

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, was enacted in 1980 and is designed to address the clean-up of hazardous substance releases. It empowers the federal government to respond to hazardous substance releases that pose a threat to public health or the environment.

To understand the regulation scope under CERCLA, it's important to note that the Act does indeed apply to releases that occurred prior to its enactment. This means that sites operating before November 1980 can still be held responsible for clean-up efforts and liability if they released hazardous substances. CERCLA gives authorities the ability to track down potentially responsible parties for contamination that took place even before the law was established, reflecting the ongoing responsibility to manage and rectify environmental damages.

This capacity to address historical contamination is vital for public health protection and environmental restoration, ensuring that past hazardous operations are not exempt from present-day accountability. Therefore, the assertion that CERCLA regulates hazardous releases from sites operating prior to November 1980 is accurate.