Owning property contaminated by hazardous material can result in government cleanup requirements, depress the value of the property, and create a possible threat to human health and the environment — not a good thing.
The federal Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) facilitates the cleanup of contaminated property by creating a federal cause of action that may allow landowners to recover a portion of their cleanup costs from the class of what CERCLA calls potentially responsible parties (PRPs).
