Reps. Cleaver, Kamlager-Dove Introduce Bill to Protect Communities From Superfund Sites Vulnerable to Climate Change

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) introduced legislation to protect communities from toxic waste at Superfund sites that are vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act would enhance protections for communities close to Superfund sites by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for climate change in their plans for managing Superfund sites—which are polluted locations that contain hazardous toxic waste and other contaminants harmful to public health.

“Americans would be shocked to learn just how many Superfund sites across the country are vulnerable to natural disasters that are becoming more frequent and more damaging due to the effects of climate change—putting entire communities at risk of exposure to the toxic waste from these sites. We have recently seen in East Palestine what happens when the government doesn’t implement safety standards necessary to protect our communities from hazardous chemicals and contaminants. Superfund sites likewise play a sometimes understated but pivotal role in protecting our communities from exposure to hazardous contaminants as well, and I hope that we will learn from past mistakes to ensure rigorous requirements are being implemented on the front end to avert environmental and public health tragedies,” said Congressman Cleaver.  

"The ongoing climate crisis and increasing rate of natural disasters threaten the stability of Superfund sites, posing a serious health risk to communities and their surrounding environments,” Rep. Kamlager-Dove said. “The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has already recognized the vulnerability of these sites that will only be exacerbated by the flood and fires we see more and more of day by day. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must consider the implications of climate change as they plan clean-up efforts at these sites, or we could face catastrophic consequences.”

In 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report concluding Superfund sites throughout the United States are severely underprepared to weather the exacerbating threat of climate change, risking calamity for surrounding communities that would be impacted by a potential breach. In the report, the GAO found that hundreds of Superfund sites across the nation face risks from flooding, storm surge, rise in sea level, and wildfires. For instance, in 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused flooding at 13 Superfund sites as well as breaches at two others. In 2018, a California wildfire burned through the Iron Mountain Mine site, causing pipes to catch fire with the potential to lead to an explosion that would have released dangerous chemicals into the neighboring communities.

There are currently 39 Superfund sites in Missouri and 3 in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Twenty of these sites were deemed currently "vulnerable" to climate change by the GAO.

The Preparing Superfund For Climate Change Act would take steps to install precautions at Superfund sites and protect communities by:

• Requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incorporate the potential threat to human health and the environment associated with local natural disasters and hazards due to climate change into any plans to clean-up a Superfund site; and
• Requiring that local natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, including any projected exacerbation or change in those disasters and hazards due to climate change, be taken into account in the periodic review of whether a clean-up plan is adequately protective.

The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Nanette Díaz Barragán (D-CA), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI).

Official text of the Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.