Congress orders first count of homes near toxic waste sites
H.R. 7595 — Superfund Area Facts and Exposure Act · Filed by Michael Lawler (R-NY) · Introduced Feb 17, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and report how many homes and public housing units sit within one mile of Superfund sites—toxic waste sites on the EPA's cleanup list. The GAO must deliver the report within six months of the bill's enactment, breaking down the count by site.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a data-collection and reporting mandate. It creates no new regulation, subsidy, or restriction—only a factual inventory of housing proximity to known toxic sites, which is foundational information for environmental-justice and housing policy.
What the text implies
- Report may expose disparities in environmental burden—if low-income or minority neighborhoods cluster near Superfund sites, data could fuel environmental-justice litigation or legislative pressure for remediation funding.
- GAO study could become baseline for future housing-relocation or buyout programs, or trigger EPA acceleration of site cleanup timelines.
- Public disclosure of unit counts may affect property values and insurance availability in affected areas, creating secondary economic pressure on residents.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill creates transparency about a concrete public-health risk—proximity of homes to toxic sites—without imposing costs on citizens or restricting their rights. Ordinary people gain factual information needed to understand environmental exposure and advocate for remediation or relocation.
Named in the bill
Comptroller General of the United States, Government Accountability Office (GAO), EPA, National Priorities List, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), United States Housing Act of 1937
Where it stands
- Feb 17, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 17, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (964 characters) on Aug 19, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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