[R]emember that statutes always have some purpose or object to accomplish, whose sympathetic and imaginative discovery is the surest guide to their meaning.

Judge Learned Hand¹

In two recent cases,² key federal district courts have concluded that municipalities may sue for damages to natural resources under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).³ Previously, it was widely assumed that only federal and state authorities could sue for natural resource damages.⁴ This cause of action is potentially of very great importance to financially hard-pressed cities and towns faced with tight budgets and the need to respond to hazardous waste contamination.