Legality of Superfund’s Hazardous Waste List Upheld

A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the legality of the Superfund national priority list used by the Environmental Protection Agency to target hazardous waste sites.

The court unanimously rejected an appeal by several companies that said they were improperly included on the list of sites deemed most dangerous by the EPA.

The national priority list includes 538 locations that have been contaminated by hazardous chemicals and toxic wastes. Another 272 sites have been formally proposed as additions to the list. Inclusion on the list is the first step in a lengthy process of studying and cleaning up waste sites under the 1980 Superfund law.