Clinton Protests Damaging Cuts to Superfund Program
Clinton Protests Damaging Cuts to Superfund Program
Bush budget leaves Superfund trust fund completely empty and taxpayers footing the bill
Move could put clean up efforts back years
More than 90 contaminated areas across New York State remain on the Superfund list
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed her disappointment today at President Bush's decision to eliminate the Superfund Tax, leaving the Superfund trust fund completely empty and forcing taxpayers rather than polluters to pay for the clean up of thousands of toxic sites across the country. The decision was announced as President Bush released his Fiscal Year 2006 Budget yesterday.
"Under the Bush Administration, the EPA has cut cleanups in half, cleaning up about 45 sites per year as compared to a pace of nearly 90 sites per year during the late 1990's - but now we have the real nail in the coffin for the Superfund program," Senator Clinton said.
"Without the Superfund Tax, taxpayers, rather than polluters, are being forced to finance one hundred percent of the clean up costs at abandoned Superfund sites. It's simply not fair to ask tax payers to bear this burden. The Administration needs to change course to restore the 'polluter pays' principle and replenish the Superfund."
"We may have finished cleaning up Love Canal, but we still have a long way to go. 90 New York sites remain on the Superfund list and we simply cannot abandon them now," Senator Clinton said. "I call on President Bush to rethink this near sighted proposal and reinstate the Superfund tax."
The Bush Administration's Fiscal Year 2006 budget does not reinstate the Superfund tax. Because the Superfund trust fund is already empty, the entire $1.28 billion for the Superfund program will now come from general revenues. As a result, taxpayers, not polluters, will pay to clean up abandoned toxic waste sites. New York has more than 90 sites on the EPA Superfund list.
To access a database of all Superfund sites in New York along with those sites that are under consideration for the program, go to: http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/srchsites.cfm
http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2005/2005208D18.html