President Donald Trump's environmental chief says he plans to focus on cleaning up decades-old contamination even as he rolls back rules aimed at preventing future pollution.
Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has sent a letter directing that Superfund cleanup efforts be elevated to what he describes as their rightful place as the EPA's core mission.
Pruitt has repeatedly moved to block or delay Obama-era rules aimed at curbing pollution from coal-fired power plants and fossil-fuel production.
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The Superfund program cleans sites highly contaminated with hazardous waste. There are now more than 1,300 sites prioritized nationally for cleanup. The EPA routinely tries to compel polluters to pay for cleanups, but taxpayers often end up paying.
The Trump administration's proposed 2018 budget would cut Superfund money by 30 percent.
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