In Episode IX, we take a comprehensive look at the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, or CERCLA.

Going section by section, we break down the basic definitions, the statutes, and the language, and look at how the final bill was the result of more than three years of debate surrounding how best to form a Superfund law.

With this firm understanding of CERCLA in place, we'll be able to look closely at how those statutes changed over time, how they were weakened and strengthened, and what their future might look like under an administration intent on dismantling environmental regulations.

This presents a solid foundation of information which will help provide a deeper understanding of how pollution is addressed when we begin our survey of individual Superfund sites.