The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, is the primary U.S. federal law governing the investigation and cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and the liability of responsible parties.
Foresight tracks CERCLA / Superfund developments and surfaces the alerts most likely to matter before they turn into missed deadlines, recalls, or escalation work.
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22 May 2026, 10:24
Source-backed regulatory and guidance signals tracked by Foresight, with the newest developments first.
Oregon DEQ Approves Prospective Purchaser Agreement With Portland Botanical Gardens for McCormick & Baxter Superfund Site
In May 2026, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality approved a prospective purchaser agreement with Portland Botanical Gardens to govern redevelopment of the McCormick & Baxter Superfund site in Portland while maintaining the integrity of the existing cleanup remedy. The agreement enables creation of public green space and trail connections but binds the purchaser to strict monitoring, engagement, and multimillion‑dollar funding and reimbursement commitments, underscoring continued enforcement focus on contaminated waterfront properties.
United StatesEPA and USACE Finalize Groundwater Cleanup Plan for the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant
EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have finalized an amended groundwater cleanup plan (ROD-A) for the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant Superfund site in Nebraska, replacing pump-and-treat with in situ bioremediation effective May 2026. This locks in long-term implementation of a more cost-effective CERCLA remedy, signalling continued federal oversight of contamination management and groundwater restoration at the site.
United StatesUS House Subcommittee Advances CERCLA Brownfields Funding Bill to Full Committee
In May 2026, a US House subcommittee advanced H.R. 8739, a bill to expand eligibility, raise grant caps, and reauthorise funding for CERCLA brownfields revitalization programmes, to the full Energy and Commerce Committee. If enacted, this would significantly increase federal support and technical assistance for contaminated-site remediation, potentially accelerating brownfield redevelopment and reshaping funding strategies for municipalities, developers, and other cleanup stakeholders.
United StatesUS IRS Announces Hearing on Superfund Taxable Substance Petition for Methyl Methacrylate-Ethyl Methacrylate-Methacrylic Acid Copolymer in a Styrene Solution
The US Internal Revenue Service has scheduled a June 2026 telephonic hearing on a petition to add methyl methacrylate-ethyl methacrylate-methacrylic acid copolymer in a styrene solution to the Superfund taxable substances list. While the list is unchanged for now, chemical manufacturers and importers using this copolymer should track the process and plan for potential future excise-tax exposure and pricing or supply-chain impacts.
United StatesEPA Proposes Groundwater Cleanup Plan for Forest Waste Products Superfund Site in Otisville, Michigan
EPA has proposed a groundwater pump-and-treat remedy for 1,4-dioxane and vinyl chloride contamination at the Forest Waste Products Superfund site in Otisville, Michigan, with public comments open until 10 June 2026. Responsible parties and local stakeholders have a short window to influence the selected cleanup approach and should prepare input and engagement plans around the proposed remedy and monitoring requirements.
United StatesEPA Opens Public Input on GE Pittsfield Housatonic River Reach 5A Cleanup and Restoration Plans
EPA is inviting public input from May to August 2026 on GE’s final cleanup and restoration plans for Reach 5A of the PCB-contaminated Housatonic River in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The decisions made through this Superfund process will determine how aggressively PCB sediments and soils are removed or contained, shaping long-term environmental risk, project costs, and stakeholder expectations for the wider river cleanup.
United StatesUS House Introduces H.R. 8739 Brownfields Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act to Amend CERCLA Brownfields Funding
In May 2026, a US House bill (H.R. 8739) was introduced to reauthorise and expand CERCLA brownfields funding, widening eligible entities, increasing grant caps, and adding new oversight, reporting and state inventory requirements. If enacted, this would boost resources and technical support for contaminated site remediation, especially in small or disadvantaged communities, while prioritising projects that enable infrastructure and redevelopment and signalling continued Congressional backing for brownfields cleanup.
United StatesEPA Begins Review of Four Superfund Cleanups in the Nation’s Heartland
In May 2026, EPA Region 7 launched statutory Five-Year Reviews of cleanup remedies at four Superfund sites in Missouri and Iowa. These reviews signal continued federal scrutiny of remedy performance and could lead to adjustments where existing cleanups no longer provide adequate protection for local communities and the environment.
United StatesUS DOJ Seeks Comment on Second CERCLA Consent Decree Modification for Old Minot Landfill Superfund Site, North Dakota
The US Department of Justice has lodged a proposed second modification to a CERCLA consent decree for the Old Minot Landfill Superfund Site in North Dakota and opened a 30-day public comment period following its 30 April 2026 Federal Register notice. The change would permit recreational reuse of the remediated landfill and refine technical settlement terms, signalling potential flexibility in Superfund land-use controls and offering precedent for future site-reuse negotiations.
United StatesHawaii Legislature Adopts PFAS and Red Hill Water Contamination Resolutions
In late April 2026, the Hawaii Legislature adopted two concurrent resolutions urging the U.S. Department of Defense to revisit PFAS-related site closure decisions under CERCLA and to extend and improve health care support for those affected by the Red Hill water contamination crisis. While non-binding, these measures heighten political pressure on federal agencies to tighten PFAS remediation standards and maintain long-term medical and clean-up commitments at defence-related contamination sites, which could foreshadow stricter regulatory and liability expectations.
United StatesUS EPA Seeks Comment on Interim Groundwater Cleanup Plan for Baird & McGuire Superfund Site (Holbrook, MA)
In April 2026, US EPA proposed an interim groundwater cleanup plan for the Baird & McGuire Superfund Site in Holbrook, Massachusetts and opened a public comment period running from early May to mid-June 2026. The decision on this plan will shape long-term management of VOC, pesticide and arsenic contamination at a legacy chemical facility, so local businesses and authorities should track the final remedy and any resulting groundwater use, monitoring, or redevelopment constraints.
United StatesUS Senate Hearing On EPA FY2027 Budget Highlights Water, Air And Climate Stakes
A Legis1 analysis highlights a 29 April 2026 US Senate hearing on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 EPA budget request as a key moment for deciding how much federal funding will flow to water infrastructure, PFAS cleanup, Superfund remediation, and greenhouse-gas enforcement. For utilities, remediation providers, and industrial emitters, this signals sustained political contest over EPA’s role and resources rather than new obligations, but it reinforces a medium-term trajectory toward tighter water and climate controls wherever Congress maintains or redirects funding.
United StatesForty-Ninth Update of the Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket
EPA has issued the forty-ninth update to the Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket, adding two federal facilities to the national list of sites with hazardous waste management or reportable releases as of early April 2026. This listing step triggers Preliminary Assessments under CERCLA and signals potential future cleanup and NPL implications that federal facility owners and nearby stakeholders should monitor.
United StatesUS House Environment Subcommittee Hearing On Environmental Laws, Critical Material Supply Chains, And TSCA
In April 2026 the US House Energy and Commerce Committee's Environment Subcommittee held a hearing on how major environmental laws including TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act affect critical material and chemical supply chains. The discussion signals congressional interest in easing regulatory bottlenecks that could constrain domestic access to critical minerals and key chemistries, so compliance teams should anticipate potential proposals to streamline TSCA reviews and adjust related environmental requirements.
United StatesUS DOJ Proposes CERCLA Settlement For Henderson Road And Spectron Superfund Sites
In April 2026 the US Department of Justice proposed a CERCLA bankruptcy settlement resolving EPA Superfund claims against Congoleum Corporation and related parties for cleanup costs at the Henderson Road (Pennsylvania) and Spectron (Maryland) sites, funded by Liberty Mutual and subject to a 30-day public comment period. The case highlights ongoing Superfund enforcement pressure and the use of bankruptcy settlements to crystallise historical environmental liabilities, signalling that manufacturers, site owners and insurers with legacy contamination should expect active pursuit of cost recovery at similar sites.
United StatesD.C. Circuit Petitioners File Supplemental Authority Citing Fifth Circuit Ruling in CERCLA PFAS Designation Case
In February 2026, petitioners in Chamber of Commerce v. EPA filed a post-argument notice of supplemental authority in the D.C. Circuit CERCLA challenge to EPA’s PFOA and PFOS hazardous-substance designations, citing a recent Fifth Circuit per curiam decision vacating a DOT rule for relying on an undisclosed study. If the D.C. Circuit finds EPA likewise relied on undisclosed “critical” cost analyses, it could undermine the CERCLA listings and materially shift Superfund liability and cleanup risk for companies with PFAS-contaminated sites or operations.
United StatesHawaii HCR 200 Urges US DoD to Reassess CERCLA PFAS Closure Decisions
Hawaii’s Legislature is advancing House Concurrent Resolution 200 urging the US Department of Defense to reopen and expand CERCLA investigations into PFAS contamination at military facilities, with a joint Senate committee hearing rescheduled to 21 April 2026. If adopted, this non-binding resolution will increase political pressure on the Department of Defense to revisit PFAS cleanup decisions in Hawaii, potentially reshaping remediation scope, transparency, and long-term lease negotiations at affected sites.
United StatesUS Congress Introduces Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2026 (H.R. 8296)
US lawmakers have introduced the Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act (H.R. 8296) to amend CERCLA so that Superfund remedy selection and five-year reviews must explicitly account for climate-driven changes in local disasters and extreme weather. If enacted, this would push responsible parties and site owners to design and reassess cleanups using forward-looking climate risk scenarios, potentially tightening long-term protection standards and raising remediation costs and liabilities at contaminated sites.
United StatesEPA Proposes CERCLA Settlement Requiring PFAS Treatment at Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site
EPA has proposed a CERCLA administrative settlement requiring the City of Tucson to build a PFAS treatment system for contaminated water entering the Tucson Area Remediation Plant, with public comments due by 18 May 2026. This signals continued federal enforcement pressure on PFAS-contaminated water systems and sets expectations for similar Superfund remedies and cost-sharing arrangements at other sites.
United StatesHawaii Senate Schedules Hearing on PFAS CERCLA Resolution HCR200
In April 2026, the Hawaii Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs committees scheduled a joint hearing on HCR200, a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Defense to revisit PFAS-related CERCLA site closure decisions at military installations in Hawaii. If adopted, this non-binding measure would increase pressure for broader PFAS investigations, more transparent contamination data, and potentially more extensive remediation commitments that could affect future lease negotiations and cleanup expectations for federal facilities in the state.
United StatesThese are just a few of the most recent CERCLA / Superfund alerts. Foresight tracks every jurisdiction, every day — and surfaces only what affects your portfolio, with full citations and evidence.
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Definition
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, is the primary U.S. federal law governing the investigation and cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances and the liability of responsible parties.
Industry relevance
CERCLA / Superfund developments can change product scope, supplier expectations, market access, reporting duties, and risk ownership. Foresight tracks the signals early so teams can respond before obligations become urgent.
Foresight tracking
Foresight monitors official sources, extracts structured regulatory intelligence, and maps alerts to a customer's products, substances, markets, and priorities so teams see the relevant signal with source evidence for review.
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