ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we have shown that the increasing numbers of hazardous waste incidents during the 1970s brought about increasing public alarm and pressure upon Congress and the state legislatures to take decisive action to protect human health and the environment. We have also shown that Congress has, through original enactments and subsequent amendments, steadily strengthened and tightened the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
in its effort to achieve timely control and remediation of hazardous waste impacts. We have illustrated the wide variety of hazardous waste abuses and disposal practices that have helped to shape the statutory and regulatory structures.
