De Soto

A key difference for our purposes, is that RCRA pertains to cleanups on properties where there is a responsible party that can be identified (in the case of the Sunflower Ammunition Plant that was the Army) while under CERCLA, Superfund and brownfields cleanups must be done on abandoned sites and sites where responsible parties can't be easily identified and held responsible for the contamination.

RCRA: "Hazardous waste is regulated under Subtitle C of RCRA. EPA has developed a comprehensive program to ensure that hazardous waste is managed safely from the moment it is generated to its final disposal (cradle-to-grave). Under Subtitle C, EPA may authorize states to implement key provisions of hazardous waste requirements in lieu of the federal government. If a state program does not exist, EPA directly implements the hazardous waste requirements in that state. Subtitle C regulations set criteria for hazardous waste generators, transporters, and treatment, storage and disposal facilities. This includes permitting requirements, enforcement and corrective action or cleanup. " source

CERCLA (Superfund and the Brownfields amendment): "The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act -- otherwise known as CERCLA or Superfund -- provides a Federal "Superfund" to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous-waste sites as well as accidents, spills, and other emergency releases of pollutants and contaminants into the environment. Through CERCLA, EPA was given power to seek out those parties responsible for any release and assure their cooperation in the cleanup." source

Before RCRA was passed in 1976 the regulation of toxic substances was lax, cleanup of accidental spills was not always done, and many contaminated properties were abandoned with no cleanup and no identifiable responsible party. This led to a legacy of abandoned contaminated properties that were then covered by the passage of CERCLA (Superfund) in 1980. Smaller sites were still often left out of cleanup programs, so the passage of the brownfields amendment in 2002 greatly helped communities with cleanup and redevelopment of sites like abandoned gas stations, dry cleaners, warehouses, and the like.

Map of Superfund sites

Map of Brownfields sites

U.S. EPA RCRA Hazardous Waste Facility Analysis Map

Many of these sites were federal facilities, falling under the military. Decommissioning these sites and turning them over to state, local, and tribal governements for for economic redevelopment has been a complex and decades long process.

image source