Bill > S2400

This bill, the Superfund Polluter Pays Restoration Act of 2015, aims to re-establish and increase funding for the Hazardous Substance Superfund, a program designed to clean up contaminated sites. It proposes to reinstate a tax on crude oil, increasing the rate from 9.7 cents to 15.8 cents per barrel, and this tax would begin 60 days after the bill is enacted. The bill also includes provisions to adjust this tax for inflation annually after 2016, and it broadens the definition of "crude oil" to encompass substances like bitumen, tar sands oil, and oil derived from oil shale, ensuring these are also subject to the tax. Furthermore, the bill reinstates and increases taxes on various chemicals, also with inflation adjustments, and crucially, it allows the Superfund to be used for environmental cleanup without requiring separate congressional appropriations, meaning funds can be accessed directly for remediation efforts.