John — After years, and even decades, of neglect, some of the most polluted sites across the United States are finally getting cleaned up.

Thanks to President Biden’s infrastructure bill passed last year, a polluter’s tax was reinstated into law after being removed over 25 years ago. This tax will have an estimated $14.5 billion in revenue over the next decade, which will fund the much-needed cleanup projects for so-called “Superfund sites” across the country. Superfund sites are places where hazardous waste is dumped. Often, it’s left up to the government to pay for the mess left by companies that no longer exist or can’t afford to clean it up themselves.

Restoring the polluter’s tax will create a real deterrence for polluters who have historically caused devastating damage to environmental and human health. Now, 49 states will have the capacity to remedy these toxic sites, many of which are located in poor communities.

Getting a handle on Superfund sites cannot come any sooner. As further proof that truly nothing is safe from the climate crisis, some of these sites are also under threat from climate change. A new project from scientists at UCLA shows that climate change puts 400 toxic sites around California at risk of flooding due to sea-level rise.

And that’s just California. Imagine how large that number would be if we had a national accounting for how many of these sites are at risk due to sea-level rise.

SEEC members have been calling for immediate action for Superfund cleanup efforts for years. We need more advocates in Congress taking aggressive action to make sure climate change doesn’t expose people, or nearby ecosystems, to hazardous materials at these polluted Superfund sites. But with this latest scientific revelation, it is clear we need to do more. Will you make a grassroots contribution today so that we can elect more pro-science members of the House willing to take action against climate change and harmful waste?

Thank you,

SEEC PAC