Senator
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: Support the "Toxic Clean-up Polluter Pays Renewal Act," S. 173

Dear Senator ,

I urge you to cosponsor and actively support the "Toxic Clean-up Polluter Pays Renewal Act." S. 173 will ensure that our nation's most toxic Superfund sites are cleaned up and will reduce the number of people who are exposed to chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other diseases.

Superfund sites poison our land, water, and air with toxic chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, liver, brain and nerve damage, as well as other health problems. With 10 million American children living within a bicycle ride of a Superfund site we need to ensure that funding is readily available to clean up these sites properly.

In 1980, Congress created the Superfund law based on two simple, yet powerful, propositions. First, hazardous waste sites should be quickly and thoroughly cleaned up. Second, polluters, not taxpayers, should pay to cleanup the contamination. Parties that release hazardous substances are responsible for damages or injuries to natural resources and are liable for restoration of the resources. Superfund, with the help of tax contributions, gives the EPA the funds it needs to clean up waste sites when no responsible party can be found.

I am very disturbed that Superfund cleanups have decreased by nearly 50 percent in the last two years. Last summer, the EPA announced that it would only clean up ten new hazardous Superfund sites -- half the number of new sites previously designated for clean-up. In addition, if Congress fails to reinstate the "Polluter Pays" tax, taxpayers will be forced to pay to clean up toxic messes that they did not create. It is estimated that by the end of this year, taxpayers will be paying 79 percent of Superfund's budget, up from 18 percent in 1995.

S. 173 will ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, pay for Superfund cleanups that reduce the number of cancer-causing chemicals in our communities. By funding this essential program, we can make major strides towards protecting America's public health.

Please support S. 173 and do everything you can to ensure its prompt passage.

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