Superfund's Success is a Team Effort
We can't do it alone! The Superfund Remedial Program is supported by our Superfund partner offices as well as other EPA programs who we coordinate with to address contaminated sites. Together, we work to prevent and clean up contamination, pursue responsible parties, and redevelop cleaned-up land to restore and revitalize communities.
Superfund Partner Offices
Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
The Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties, referred to as “Brownfields.” Brownfields are not Superfund sites but the two programs' missions are similar and strive to restore blighted properties to revitalize communities.
Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office
The Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) manages the national Federal Facility Superfund Program and facilitates faster, more effective cleanup and reuse of federal facilities. These large sites present challenges like complex groundwater contamination, munitions, radiological waste, and contaminants of emerging concern. Other federal agencies have the lead cleanup authority for their National Priorities List (NPL) sites and EPA has oversight authority.
EPA Partner Programs
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) supports Superfund work through enforcement actions carried out by their Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) and Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO). OSRE finds those responsible a Superfund site's contamination and negotiates with or orders those parties to perform site cleanup themselves or to pay for the cleanup work undertaken by another party. OSRE along with EPA's ten Offices of Regional Counsel preserves taxpayer dollars and the Superfund trust fund's scare resources to address truly abandoned and orphaned sites. FFEO ensures federal facilities comply with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and other environmental laws to prevent, control, and clean up contamination through inspections and legal action.
- Find out more about OECA
- Find out more about Superfund enforcement
- Find our more about Federal Facilities enforcement
Office of Emergency Management
The Office of Emergency Management, under CERCLA and other authorities, manages emergency responses, including those involving the release (or threatened release) of hazardous substances, such as:
- Oil spills
- Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents
- Large-scale national emergencies, including homeland security incidents
OEM coordinates with other agencies to remove the toxic waste and clean up the affected area. To assist in emergency response, OEM also manages chemical emergency and oil spill prevention and preparedness programs.
Tribal Lands Cleanup and Spill Prevention Programs
Tribal governments are key partners in helping EPA address contamination occurring on tribal lands, ceded lands or usual and accustomed areas. EPA has a strong history of working collaboratively with federally recognized tribes in a government-to-government relationship. Tribal roles are provided under the Superfund law, which allows EPA to enter into cooperative agreements with eligible tribes to perform or to participate in Superfund-eligible site response activities.