Final answer:
The fund created by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980 for cleaning up hazardous waste sites is known as the Superfund, which is choice D). This program is essential for environmental protection and public health, overseeing cleanups and improvements to areas affected by severe contamination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted in 1980 to address the problem of polluted sites throughout the United States. The act established a fund designed to finance the cleanup of contaminated areas, ensuring the protection of both the environment and public health. The correct answer to the question is D) Superfund.
Superfund is a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was created to monitor and clean up sites listed on the "National Priorities List." Such cleanup operations have included removing contaminated soil, installing pipes to treat contaminated groundwater, and securing the sites with layers of clay and plastic to prevent further leaking of hazardous substances.
The Love Canal incident is one example where the Superfund was utilized to rectify a hazardous situation, resulting in the cleanup and the relocation of families affected by the pollution. To support these endeavors, Superfund has received substantial financial compensation from responsible parties such as Occidental Chemical and the US government. Command-and-control regulation, under which Superfund operates, has played a significant role in improving the American environment since the 1970s.