State Climate Superfund Laws

This issue brief provides an overview of state climate Superfund laws, which require entities that have emitted more than one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to pay damages to the state for past emissions. These laws are modeled after the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, known informally as "Superfund,” which enforces and funds the clean-up of sites contaminated by hazardous substances.