Hazardous Substance Superfund (Discretionary Portion)

(Superfund)

Environmental Protection Agency

Proposed Cut

$300M

Action Type

reduction

Who Is Served

Communities near 1,300+ contaminated sites; 50% of Americans live within 3 miles of a Superfund site

Summary

The Hazardous Substance Superfund program is how the EPA pays to clean up the nation's most dangerous contaminated sites when no responsible company can be forced to pay. The FY2027 budget proposes cutting $300 million from this program's discretionary (congressionally appropriated) funding, arguing the agency can instead lean on industry taxes and litigation recoveries to pay for cleanups. EPA's own FY2027 request lists only about $290 million in new discretionary appropriations for Superfund, a steep drop from the roughly $1 billion in appropriations the program has typically received in recent years.

Who Is Affected

People living near the 1,300-plus sites on the National Priorities List are directly affected, and according to program records, half of all Americans live within three miles of a Superfund site. These sites include old industrial plants, abandoned mines, and dumping grounds where soil or groundwater is contaminated with chemicals like lead, PCBs, and solvents, often in lower-income and industrial communities that cannot afford cleanup on their own.

What this cut would actually mean

With less discretionary money for the EPA's remedial and emergency-response work, cleanup crews would have fewer resources to excavate contaminated soil, treat polluted groundwater, or respond quickly to hazardous spills, so more sites would sit on the waiting list longer. That means people in affected neighborhoods keep breathing, drinking, or living near toxic contamination for more years, delaying health protections and pushing back the day when that land can be redeveloped for housing, parks, or business use.

Why this hits Alabama harder

Alabama is home to more than a dozen active Superfund sites, and several of the biggest ones sit in low-income, majority-Black neighborhoods that already face higher poverty and health burdens than the U.S. average. The 35th Avenue site in North Birmingham and the Anniston PCB site are well-documented environmental-justice communities where residents have faced elevated pollution exposure and health problems tied to nearby contamination. Because Alabama's poverty rate and share of environmental-justice communities near contaminated sites run above the national average, slower Superfund cleanup funding would likely hit these Alabama communities harder than most of the country.

List of Superfund sites in Alabama - Wikipedia — Lists the Superfund/NPL sites located across Alabama, showing the state has more than a dozen active contaminated sites requiring EPA cleanup.
Superfund Sites in Reuse in Alabama | US EPA — EPA describes the 35th Avenue Superfund site in North Birmingham, a historic residential district, as an area with ongoing contamination affecting nearby neighborhoods.
The Search for Environmental Justice: The Story of North Birmingham - PMC — Peer-reviewed study describing North Birmingham as a case of environmental injustice, where heavy industry and the 35th Avenue Superfund site caused lasting pollution and disparities in the surrounding low-income community.
Disparities in Healthcare Utilization: Superfund Site vs. Neighboring Comparison Site — Study finding that lower-income and minority populations near the 35th Avenue Superfund site face higher pollution exposure and worse health outcomes than comparison communities.

Sources

Trump's 2027 budget again aims to halve EPA spending | Waste Dive — Reports that the FY2027 budget cuts EPA's overall discretionary funding by 52% and shifts Superfund cleanup financing mainly to industry taxes, litigation recoveries, and about $290 million in appropriations.
Trump's 2027 budget proposes deep cuts to science programs | C&EN — Notes that the EPA's Superfund hazardous waste program, which cleans up the nation's most contaminated sites, would lose funding under the FY2027 proposal.
U.S. EPA FY2026 President's Budget Request: In Brief | Congress.gov CRS Report — Explains how the Hazardous Substance Superfund account funds cleanup of contaminated sites without financially viable responsible parties, noting the Remedial program area is typically about half of Superfund appropriations, which have historically been around $1 billion.
FY 2027 EPA Budget in Brief - U.S. EPA — EPA's own budget document describing plans to focus Superfund and Brownfields cleanup on a smaller list of top-priority sites amid reduced discretionary appropriations.
White House proposes significant cuts to EPA, SRFs in FY27 budget proposal | WaterWorld — Reports the administration's position that Superfund's industry tax receipts and litigation recoveries mean there is 'no need for additional funding for Superfund cleanup.'