Overview

SARA, passed by Congress in 1986, amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), otherwise known as Superfund. SARA, according to the EPA web site, "reflected EPA's experience in administering the complex Superfund program during its first six years and made several important changes and additions to the program" (EPA).

Provisions

Provisions of SARA include (EPA):

• stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites
  
• required Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other State and Federal environmental laws and regulations
  
• provided new enforcement authorities and settlement tools
  
• increased State involvement in every phase of the Superfund program
  
• increased the focus on human health problems posed by hazardous waste sites
  
• encouraged greater citizen participation in making decisions on how sites should be cleaned up
  
• increased the size of the trust fund to $8.5 billion
  

References

• United States Environmental Protection Agency. SARA Overview. Accessed on 4-27-07.