The Nation : Tax for Superfund Voted

The Senate Finance Committee, over strong dissent from the Reagan Administration, voted for a vastly enlarged Superfund toxic waste cleanup campaign financed by a new excise tax on manufacturers. The Republican-controlled panel, by a 16-1 vote, cleared the legislation for floor debate. It would boost Superfund spending to $7.5 billion over five fiscal years, beginning Oct. 1. That is nearly a fivefold increase over the $1.6 billion earmarked for cleaning up abandoned waste dumps in the Superfund’s first five years and almost 50% more than the $5.3 billion that the Administration is seeking for the next five years.