There are many laws designed to protect the quality of water, land, and air known as environmental laws. For this sole discussion, let's focus on federal environmental laws.
There is the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and CERCLA which is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
Under CERCLA, in general, liability of hazardous waste cleanup rests with the owner of the real property even if the owner is not the person who created the hazardous waste problem
Who should pay the cost of cleanup?