Which event helped spur CERCLA?

Which event helped spur CERCLA?

• A. Exxon Valdez
• B. Three Mile Island
• C. Deepwater Horizon
• D. Love Canal

Answer: (D)

The Love Canal disaster in the 1970s highlighted the danger of hazardous waste in communities and the need for a federal mechanism to address and fund cleanup of abandoned or uncontrolled sites. This event spurred the push for a national policy, which led to CERCLA in 1980. CERCLA created the Superfund to identify, prioritize, and finance the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and to hold polluters liable for cleanup costs. The other events brought important safety and spill-response changes in their domains (oil spills and nuclear safety), but they did not drive the creation of CERCLA itself.

The Love Canal disaster in the 1970s highlighted the danger of hazardous waste in communities and the need for a federal mechanism to address and fund cleanup of abandoned or uncontrolled sites. This event spurred the push for a national policy, which led to CERCLA in 1980. CERCLA created the Superfund to identify, prioritize, and finance the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and to hold polluters liable for cleanup costs.

The other events brought important safety and spill-response changes in their domains (oil spills and nuclear safety), but they did not drive the creation of CERCLA itself.