text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Superfund Emergency Response Act of 
  2012''.
  
  SEC. 2. DISASTER RESPONSE AT SITES ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST.
  
      (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
  Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in 
  this section as the ``Administrator'') may carry out any assessment, 
  monitoring, remediation, repair, or construction activity that the 
  Administrator determines to be necessary at a site that--
              (1) is proposed to be listed on, is listed on, or has been 
          deleted from, the National Priorities List under the 
          Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and 
          Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.); and
              (2) is located in an area that the President has declared a 
          major disaster in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. 
          Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
          U.S.C. 5170).
      (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
  years 2013 through 2018.
  
  SEC. 3. DISASTER ASSESSMENTS.
  
      Title I of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
  and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) is amended by adding 
  at the end the following:
  
  ``SEC. 129. SITE ASSESSMENTS AFTER A MAJOR DISASTER.
  
      ``(a) In General.--The Governor or Senator of a State may request 
  that the Administrator carry out an assessment and submit a report on 
  the impacts, if any, of a major disaster (as defined in section 102 of 
  the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
  U.S.C. 5122)) on any site that is--
              ``(1) proposed to be listed on or listed on the National 
          Priorities List; and
              ``(2) located in an area that the President has declared a 
          major disaster in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. 
          Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
          U.S.C. 5170).
      ``(b) Response.--
              ``(1) In general.--Not later than 15 days after the date on 
          which a request described in subsection (a) is submitted, the 
          Administrator shall--
                      ``(A) determine whether to carry out the 
                  assessment; and
                      ``(B) inform the Governor or Senator, as 
                  applicable, of the determination.
              ``(2) Preliminary assessment.--
                      ``(A) In general.--If the Administrator determines 
                  to carry out an assessment under this section, the 
                  assessment shall include--
                              ``(i) an evaluation of whether the major 
                          disaster resulted in the release of any 
                          contaminants into the ambient environment that 
                          threaten public health and the environment;
                              ``(ii) an assessment of any actions 
                          necessary to mitigate a toxic release, repair 
                          any damage, or provide monitoring in response 
                          to damage associated with the major disaster, 
                          along with an estimate of the cost to complete 
                          those actions;
                              ``(iii) a list of any actions already taken 
                          by Administrator, including actions in 
                          coordination with State and local governments, 
                          to prevent, mitigate, or remediate any damage 
                          resulting from the major disaster at the site; 
                          and
                              ``(iv) any information needed to alert the 
                          public to any threat, or potential threat, to 
                          public health and the environment relating to 
                          the release of contaminants at the site as a 
                          result of a major disaster.
                      ``(B) Public notice.--Not later than 30 days after 
                  the date on which the Administrator determines to carry 
                  out an assessment described in subsection (a), the 
                  Administrator shall--
                              ``(i) complete the assessment; and
                              ``(ii) publish the results of the 
                          assessment on a publicly accessible Internet 
                          site.
              ``(3) Amended assessment.--The Administrator may amend or 
          update any assessment carried out under this section during the 
          1-year period following the date on which the Administrator 
          determines to carry out the assessment.''.
  
  SEC. 4. STUDY OF SITES ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST AND EXTREME 
                WEATHER.
  
      Title III of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
  Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9651 et seq.) is 
  amended by adding at the end the following:
  
  ``SEC. 313. STUDY ON SITES ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST AND EXTREME 
                WEATHER.
  
      ``(a) Definition of Extreme Weather Event.--In this section, the 
  term `extreme weather event' means--
              ``(1) severe and unseasonable weather;
              ``(2) heavy precipitation;
              ``(3) a hurricane;
              ``(4) a storm surge;
              ``(5) a tornado or other windstorm, including a derecho;
              ``(6) extreme heat and cold; and
              ``(7) any other event that qualifies as a `major disaster' 
          under section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
          Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
      ``(b) Study.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
  this section, the Administrator shall carry out a study and submit to 
  Congress a report that includes--
              ``(1) an assessment of the existing vulnerability of each 
          property that, due to an extreme weather event, is proposed to 
          be listed, listed, or removed from the National Priorities 
          List, particularly in relation to the potential for 
          contaminants to leach or enter into the ambient environment and 
          threaten public health;
              ``(2) an evaluation of the quantity of properties proposed 
          to be listed or listed on the National Priorities List in areas 
          that are prone to flooding as a result of an extreme weather 
          event, including an estimate of the cost necessary to remediate 
          each site so that the site can be removed from the National 
          Priorities List; and
              ``(3) any recommendations of the Administrator relating 
          to--
                      ``(A) emergency response protocols in the event of 
                  an extreme weather event to prevent any release of 
                  contaminants into the ambient environment, including 
                  coordination between the regional office, appropriate 
                  State and local officials, and any relevant community 
                  advisory groups;
                      ``(B) strategies the Administrator determines 
                  necessary to improve the resiliency of assessments, 
                  monitoring, or construction carried out on proprieties 
                  on the National Priorities List as extreme weather 
                  events become more common; and
                      ``(C) additional policies necessary to enhance the 
                  resiliency of properties on the National Priorities 
                  List as a result of extreme weather events, including 
                  any modifications of existing Federal law.''.
target: Superfund Emergency Response Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out any assessment, monitoring, remediation, repair, or construction activity determined to be necessary at a site that: (1) is proposed to be listed on, is listed on, or has been deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA); and (2) is located in an area that the President has declared a major disaster in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
  
  Amends CERCLA to authorize a state governor or senator to request that the Administrator carry out an assessment and report on the impacts of a major disaster on any proposed or listed NPL site located in a major disaster area. Requires the assessment to include: (1) an evaluation of whether the disaster resulted in the release of any contaminants into the ambient environment that threaten public health and the environment; (2) an assessment of any actions necessary to mitigate a toxic release, repair any damage, or provide monitoring in response to disaster damage; (3) a list of actions already taken by Administrator to prevent, mitigate, or remediate any disaster damage at the site; and (4) any information needed to alert the public to any threat to public health and the environment relating to the release of contaminants at the site.
  
  Directs the Administrator to study and report on: (1) an assessment of the vulnerability of each property that, due to an extreme weather event, is proposed to be listed, is listed, or is removed from the NPL; (2) an evaluation of the quantity of properties proposed or listed on the NPL in areas that are prone to flooding as a result of such an event; and (3) recommendations relating to emergency response protocols in such an event to prevent any release of contaminants into the ambient environment, strategies to improve the resiliency of assessments, monitoring, or construction carried out on NPL proprieties as such events become more common, and additional policies necessary to enhance the resiliency of NPL properties as a result of such events. Defines an "extreme weather event" as severe and unseasonable weather, heavy precipitation, a hurricane, a storm surge, a tornado or other windstorm, extreme heat and cold, or any other event that qualifies as a major disaster.
feat_title: A bill to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to provide assistance for natural disaster response at Superfund sites, and for other purposes.