Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2019

Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2019

This bill requires the consideration of factors related to climate change when selecting remedial actions for the cleanup of Superfund sites (sites contaminated with hazardous substances). Specifically, the potential threat to human health and the environment associated with local natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, including those exacerbated by climate change, must be taken into account when selecting remedial actions.

Under current law, some remedial actions result in hazardous substances remaining at the site, so there must be a review every five years to assure that human health and the environment are being protected. The bill requires such review to include an assessment of whether the selected remedial action remains protective after taking into account local natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, including those exacerbated by climate change.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2893 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2893

 To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
   Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the consideration of climate 
                    change, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 19, 2019

 Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Harris) introduced the following bill; which was 
  read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public 
                                 Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
   Liability Act of 1980 to provide for the consideration of climate 
                    change, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preparing Superfund for Climate 
Change Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.

    Section 121 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9621) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1), in the fifth sentence--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                striking ``account:'' and inserting ``account--'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (C) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (D) by inserting after subparagraph (G) the 
                following:
                    ``(H) the potential threat to human health and the 
                environment associated with local natural disasters and 
                extreme weather hazards, including any projected 
                exacerbation or change in those disasters and hazards 
                due to climate change.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by inserting after the first 
        sentence the following: ``The President shall include in the 
        review an assessment of whether the selected remedial action 
        remains protective after taking into account local natural 
        disasters and extreme weather hazards, including any projected 
        exacerbation or change in those disasters and hazards due to 
        climate change.''.
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