Superfund

[noun]

The name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, which was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. The fund is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up toxic waste sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for sites remediated by EPA.