A Sacramento-based attorney with nearly 25 years of experience, John S. Poulos is a partner in the litigation practice group at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP. In his current role at the Sacramento firm, John S. Poulos handles commercial litigation cases, some of which involve the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

1. A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF
CERCLA
John S Poulos, Sacramento

2. Introduction
 A Sacramento-based attorney with nearly 25 years of
experience, John S. Poulos is a partner in the
litigation practice group at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard &
Smith, LLP. In his current role at the Sacramento firm,
John S. Poulos handles commercial litigation cases,
some of which involve the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA).
Enacted by Congress in 1980, CERCLA, also known
as the Superfund, is a federal environmental law that
provides money to identify and clean up sites that
have been contaminated by hazardous waste as the
result of spills, leakage, illegal dumping, or negligent
management practices.

3. Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act
 CERCLA also gives the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) the authority to find the party or
parties responsible for the mess and compel them
to support and take part in the cleanup process.
Originally, the law was funded through a tax
imposed on the chemical and petroleum
industries, but the tax burden moved from industry
to taxpayers in 2002, and now the lion’s share of
the Superfund program is financed by public tax
dollars. This funding shift has led to a reduction in
Superfund activity, but the EPA still manages to
launch several dozen Superfund projects in the
United States each year.