Discussion—Ethics in Action

In 1980, the US Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly referred to as the Superfund. This law provides broad federal authority to clean up sites that are contaminated with hazardous substances and has established a trust fund for cleanup efforts that was created from taxes on petroleum and chemical companies. This law also gives the EPA authority to identify the responsible parties for cooperation in the cleanup of the contaminated sites. If the responsible parties are not found, the agency cleans up the sites with the Superfund (US EPA, 2011).

The EPA Web site provides detailed descriptions of Superfund sites all over the U.S. Review the Web site and select a site near you for this assignment.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2011). Superfund: Superfund sites where you live. Retrieved from
  http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm  

Note: If you live outside the U.S., find one in an area that interests you from the map.

Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and specifically, the link given above, respond to the following:

• What caused this environmental disaster?
• If left unchecked, how would this impact human health in this area?
• What is currently being done to clean up this area?
• How much has the cleanup cost so far?
• What is your assessment of the cleanup plan?
• Could the contamination of this site have been prevented? How?

Support your statements with scholarly references and appropriate examples.

Write your initial response in approximately 350 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.