US reinstates Superfund taxes to clean up 1300 contaminated sites
Levy on 42 chemicals and their derivatives aims to revive neglected cleanup programme
The US government is reviving two long-expired excise taxes on 42 chemicals, and substances made from them. The expected $14.4 billion (£12 billion) in revenue will help fund decontamination of more than 1300 polluted sites in the US.
The ‘Superfund’ taxes, which come into effect on 1 July, are poised to revitalise cleanup efforts that have trickled to a near-halt over the past years as money to fund them has run out.