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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020

Has the Trump administration accelerated the cleanup of contaminated ‘Superfund’ sites?

Amy Vong, Gigafact
yes

The Trump administration has accelerated the progress of the Environment Protection Agency's "Superfund" program. The program was created in 1980 to clean industrial sites, mines and landfills contaminated with hazardous waste. The EPA measures progress when it marks a site as "partially deleted" or "deleted" from the "National Priorities List" of hazardous sites needing its attention.

Under the Obama administration, the EPA partially deleted 17 sites and fully deleted 47 sites. The Trump administration, not yet through its first term, has so far partially deleted 32 sites and fully deleted 44 sites.

There are still 1,327 sites on the list at last count. The EPA has identified 34 projects awaiting funding. Critics note that the Trump administration has cut funding as part of overall cuts at the agency, even though the Superfund program can boast a record of achievement.

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