Taxing Authority for Superfund Allowed to Lapse by Congress

Taxing authority for Superfund was allowed to expire at midnight Monday, leaving the nation’s multibillion-dollar battle against toxic waste dumps in limbo as Congress struggled to renew and expand the program.

There was, however, no dramatic effect in the field as the clock ran out on Superfund’s main source of dump cleanup funds--a tax on petroleum and basic petrochemicals that form the basis for hazardous chemicals.

Anticipating that Congress would not renew the law by Oct. 1, the Environmental Protection Agency in August halted work at 57 dumps on its list of the country’s 850 worst hazardous sites.

Robin Woods, an EPA spokeswoman, said the freeze would enable Superfund to survive for three to six months on a skeletal basis, with about $185 million available to pay staff salaries and perform emergency cleanups.

The Senate last Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation to increase Superfund to $7.5 billion over the next five years, a nearly fivefold boost from the $1.6 billion budgeted for the first five years.

But a $10-billion House version still is making its way through committees. A 45-day extension of Superfund is expected to be debated today.