Determining Cleanup Standards for Hazardous Waste Sites

Abstract

In this thesis, the author examines the process for determining cleanup standards for hazardous waste sites under the provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. Section 9621 (CERCLA). Although Section 9621 of the statute purports to describe cleanup standards for hazardous waste sites, practical application has been far from uniform and has spawned controversy over the selection of an acceptable remedy and the selection process itself. The question of "how clean is clean?" is not an unanswerable question, but there presently exists little agreement between the Federal Government, the states, and the private sector as to what is the correct answer. The author concludes that cleanup standards for hazardous waste sites cannot be defined in dogma, but a more efficient and effective process for selecting which remedies should be applied in a particular case should be developed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA456383

Entities

People

  • William D. Turkula

Organizations

  • The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Engineering
  • Congress
  • Contamination
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Environmental Protection
  • Environmental Restoration And Remediation
  • Groundwater
  • Hazardous Waste Sites
  • Law
  • National Governments
  • Natural Resources
  • Standards
  • State Law
  • United States Government
  • Waste Management

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Environmental Remediation and Restoration.
  • Government and Public Administration Law.