Abstract |
Since shortly after World War II, manmade chemicals have become ever more pervasive elements in our society. With their escalating use have come new problems and the recognition of increasing risks. One response to the challenge posed by early efforts to dispose of these substances and their byproducts was enactment at the Federal level of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), adopted in 1980, and its attendant $1.6 billion Hazardous Substance to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites as they are identified, even when the responsible parties cannot be found or are unable or unwilling to undertake the clean up. Illinois, second only to New Jersey in generating hazardous wastes, has acknowledged the scope of its problem by supplementing the Superfund program with two initiatives of its own, Clean Illinois and Build Illinois, which together have earmarked $110 million over a five year span to fund cleanups. |