Abstract

A Superfund site is defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 as “any land in the United States that has been contaminated by hazardous waste and identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a candidate for cleanup because it poses a risk to human health and/or the environment.” Previous studies suggest Superfund sites are more likely to be located in lower income areas, and sites in wealthier areas are likely to be identified and mitigated at a more rapid pace. This study analyzes both income equity in distribution and time to ROD of Superfund sites in North Carolina by comparing three variables to median household income. First, median household income is compared among 22 North Carolina counties containing 37 NPL-listed sites and 78 counties that do not contain such sites. In order to account for confounding factors present on the County scale (i.e. large cities), median household income is then compared between census tracts containing Superfund sites and census tracts without such sites for each of the 22 counties individually. Finally, among the 37 Superfund sites, the time span between official listing on the NPL and publication of the ROD is compared to median household income in the surrounding census tracts.

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