Beehler bought a waste disposal site from Toxic Inc., which went bankrupt in 1975. Toxic had been dumping toxic waste at the site since 1946. Beehler closed the old site and built another that complies with RCRA. In 2005, it was discovered that the old site was leaking, which could pollute groundwater. Who might be a responsible party under CERCLA for the clean up costs at the old site?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, responsible parties for the cleanup of a contaminated site can include the current owner/operator, previous owners/operators, companies that arranged for disposal or treatment of hazardous substances at the site, and companies that transported hazardous substances to the site. Therefore, all of the choices listed (Beehler, any company that dumped at the site, any company that transported hazardous wastes to the site, and the owners of Toxic) could potentially be held responsible for cleanup costs.

Beehler Bought a Waste Disposal Site from Toxic Inc