Environmental Group Warns Congress on Superfund Expenses

Washington, D.C. — Resources for the Future, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental think tank, has released a report to Congress warning that government costs for cleaning up Superfund sites are expected to exceed the money available in the fund. The report estimated that the government will spend $14 billion to $16.4 billion between 2000 and 2009 on Superfund programs, with annual costs between $1.3 billion and $1.7 billion. But the funds currently available in the Superfund program total approximately $650 million and could run out by 2002, according to the report.