The sweeping health care and climate change bill the House is expected to pass Friday and send on to President Joe Biden would reinstate a long-expired tax on oil companies to help cover the cost of cleaning up some of the nation's most toxic sites.
To pay for the program, lawmakers imposed a"polluters pay" tax on chemical and petroleum companies.
Shortly after those taxes expired, the Superfund Trust Fund reached its peak balance of $4.7 billion in 1997 and began declining the following year. At the start of this fiscal year, the trust had a balance of $67 million, according to U.S. PIRG.During the 1990s, when the Superfund Trust Fund enjoyed its highest balance, work was completed on an average of 71 sites a year. That annual average fell to 34 from 2001 to 2010 and then 12 from 2011 to 2020.
The oil industry has consistently opposed the tax, saying its reimposition would be"unfair not necessary" since 70% of cleanup costs are being covered by responsible parties. ."Moreover, reinstating the Superfund taxes could result in higher energy costs to hard-working Americans who already struggle to make ends meet.
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