Before the 1970’s, it was not illegal to dispose of hazardous chemicals in unlined pits, and many companies?

Question

Before the 1970’s, it was not illegal to dispose of hazardous chemicals in unlined pits, and many companies did so. Should they be held responsible today for the contamination those wastes are causing, or should the government (taxpayers) pay for the cleanup? Give a rationale for your position.

Answer 1

If we make a law tomorrow that puts u in violation today ,do u think that is right. Many of these sites are not so bad    example

   HCH  very bad acid .

   caustic soda bad base

  Mix together to a ph 7 , now what do u have??

  Normal table salt and water u can dispose of it any where.

Answer 2

If it is found that a company has created a hazardous release in a landfill, the USEPA, under the SUPERFUND rules, can audit a landfill, see who sent what and then force the firm that dumped there to pay their portion of the cleanup costs.  The bigger the company, the more they will pay - regardless of the quantity of pollution that may be theirs.  

Love Canal is a perfect example of what you cited.  Even though the government paid for the cleanup, they sent the polluters a bill.

I work for industries that dumped chemicals in burn pits up until it was illegal to do so.  And they have paid milliions of dollars to clean up their releases.  

How does government fund Superfund?  By enacting fines on companies, taxes and fees on companies.