Cleaver, Kamlager-Dove, and Schiff Introduce Bill to Require EPA to Examine Impact of Climate Change on Superfund Sites to Protect Vulnerable Communities

(Washington, D.C.) - This week, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), along with Senator Adam Schiff (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 require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to account for climate change risks, including natural disasters and extreme weather hazards, when managing toxic waste sites, enhancing protections for nearby 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.

"As natural disasters become more prevalent and intense due to climate change, it is critically important that we take preemptive action to protect communities near Superfund sites across the country, particularly those that are vulnerable to floods and fires," said Congressman Cleaver. "By requiring the EPA to account for climate change in their management of Superfund sites, we can safeguard American families from the toxic waste contained at these sites in the event of a disaster. I'm proud to introduce this commonsense legislation with Representative Kamlager-Dove and Senator Schiff as we seek to prevent avoidable and unnecessary tragedies."

"As the climate crisis causes more and more extreme weather, we must ensure our communities have the resources they need to be resilient," said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. "With 15 active EPA Superfund sites across LA County, climate-driven disasters like last year's LA Fires threaten to upend pollution cleanup efforts that keep our neighbors safe. I'm proud to join Sen. Schiff and Rep. Cleaver in introducing this legislation that would better prepare us for climate disasters and help protect our communities from toxic waste."

"With the ongoing and ever-worsening climate crisis, we must take strong action to mitigate the climate risks on Superfund sites across California and the country as more and more of these toxic sites become vulnerable to natural disasters. As the EPA manages and plans the cleanup of these sites, they must account for and recognize the impacts of climate change in order to protect the health and wellbeing of the public," said Senator Schiff.

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.

Reports last month from the EPA's Office of Inspector General found that 100 of the nation's most contaminated federal Superfund sites are in areas prone to flooding and wildfires.

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 endorsed by Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative, Climate Accountability Institute, and Missouri Sierra Club.

The Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act is cosponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

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.