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Regulatory Information by Topic: Land and Cleanup

EPA conducts and supervises investigation and cleanup actions at a variety of sites where oil or hazardous chemicals have been released into the environment or when there is a threat of the release of these substances. Cleanup activities also may take place at active and abandoned waste sites, federal facilities and properties, and where above or underground storage tanks have leaked.

Read more basic information about cleanup.

On this page:

Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs)

ASTs that store petroleum or hazardous substances are subject to both federal regulations and state/local regulations. Most ASTs need to meet Spill, Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) requirements.

See also: Underground Storage Tanks

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Brownfields

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Laws and Regulations

Enforcement

Policies and Guidance

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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action

When solid or hazardous waste is not properly managed and contamination results at RCRA-regulated facilities, the RCRA Corrective Action program monitors and regulates the cleanup of the contamination.

Laws and Regulations

Enforcement

Policies and Guidance

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Superfund

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), known as Superfund, was enacted to address abandoned hazardous waste sites in the U.S. The law has subsequently been amended, by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), and the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002.

Laws and Regulations

Compliance

Enforcement

Policy and Guidance

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Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)

The UST Program is primarily implemented by states and territories. The first point of contact is the state or territorial regulatory agency that has jurisdiction where the USTs are physically located. Find state contacts.

Laws and Regulations

Compliance

​​Enforcement

Policy and Guidance

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