Opinion ID: 41387
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: claims pursuant to cercla

Text: CERCLA provides a remedy to a claimant seeking to recover response costs for removal and remediation of hazardous substances released into the environment. 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601-9675. To establish a prima facie case of liability under CERCLA, a plaintiff must prove: (1) that the site in question is a “facility” as defined in § 9601(9); (2) that the defendant is a responsible person under § 9607(a); (3) that a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance has occurred; and (4) that the release or threatened release has caused the plaintiff to incur response costs. Amoco Oil Co. v. Borden, Inc., 889 F.2d 664, 668 (5th Cir. 1989). “In enacting CERCLA, Congress intended ‘to 13 facilitate the prompt cleanup of hazardous waste sites and to shift the cost of environmental response from the taxpayers to the parties who benefitted from the wastes that caused the harm.’” Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. Poole Chem. Co., 419 F.3d 355, 364 (5th Cir. 2005) (quoting OHM Remediation Servs. v. Evans Cooperage Co., 116 F.3d 1574, 1578 (5th Cir. 1997). The district court concluded that the CERCLA claims were not ripe for summary judgment because the claims raised genuine issues of material fact and were outside the scope of discovery. Appellants assert that private causes of action under CERCLA are limited to response costs and that Claimants did not incur any response costs recognized by CERCLA because they did not act to remove contamination or remedy the direct effect of contamination. Claimants argue CERCLA confers a private right of action on any person who has incurred the necessary costs of response consistent with the national contingency plan. They argue the evacuation was ordered by the State Police and the Sheriffs of two parishes and that the evacuation was related to the clean up activities. Claimants have not raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether they are entitled to recover under CERCLA. “To justifiably incur response costs, one necessarily must have acted to contain a release threatening the public health or the environment.” Amoco Oil, 889 F.2d at 669-70. The claims at issue here are for economic losses resulting from the evacuation. None of the claimants has even alleged that it incurred costs in acting to contain the gaseous cargo; therefore, none of the claimants is entitled to recover under CERCLA. The district court erred in denying Appellants’ motions for partial summary judgment as to the claims brought pursuant to CERCLA.