Legal Regulation of the Remediation of Accumulated Environmental Damage at Industrial Sites in the USA

Abstract

The practice of eliminating accumulated environmental damage in the United States of America is reviewed. The relevance of the stated problems for the Russian Federation and the need for critical analysis of similar foreign experience is stated. The general legal regulation of handling hazardous chemicals in the USA is described, the direct subject of the research is defined as legal and institutional forms of elimination of consequences of releases of hazardous chemicals into the environment in accordance with the CERCLA law. The historical background of the regulatory act is investigated, and the negative influence of political circumstances on its quality is revealed. The main elements f the system of liquidation of accumulated environmental damage created by CERCLA are thoroughly analysed, the features of legal procedures related to preparation and implementation of measures on remediation of contaminated objects are revealed in detail. The problems of financial sustainability of these measures caused by changes in tax regimes are revealed, some peculiarities of prosecuting persons guilty of environmental contamination with hazardous chemicals are revealed. Based on the results of the study, conclusions are formulated about the possibility of adopting some positive features of foreign experience and the need to continue comparative research in the field of elimination of accumulated environmental damage.