Superfund, Supermess

Take two strong women, subpoenas, probes, shredders and stir well

Jolted by the horror of New York's Love Canal and other revelations of chemical poisons seeping into America's earth and water, Congress three years ago created a $1.6 billion "Superfund" for cleaning up hazardous wastes. Drawing on contributions from chemical and oil companies, with costs to be recouped from violators, the measure was hailed as an important beginning in coping with the worst public health threat of the 1980s. It gave the Environmental Protection Agency the money and authority to purge the toxic dumps...

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