United States Supreme Court finds that CERCLA does not preempt state common law claims related to Superfund sites 

On April 20, 2020, in Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian, 590 U.S. ____ (2020), the United States Supreme Court found that the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) did not preclude private landowners from bringing common law claims in state court related to Superfund sites.  Defendant Atlantic Richfield conceded that CERCLA preserves state law claims for compensatory damages including loss of use and enjoyment of property, diminution of value, incidental and consequential damages, and annoyance and discomfort.  However, the Court held that the landowners could not use state law claims to impose additional remedial measures on removal or remedial action once initiated under CERCLA without prior EPA approval.  This decision also maintains the viability of state law claims against potentially responsible parties subject to CERCLA, but limits certain potential remedies for these claims including compensatory, incidental and consequential damages as well as restoration activities that are consistent with EPA’s remedial action plan.