Carter signs an order for toxic-waste cleanup

In one of his final moves as President, former President Carter signed an executive order authorizing a $1.6 billion trust fund to clean up hazardous waste dumps. The legislation authorizes the president to order a toxic waste cleanup when the responsible party is unknown, unwilling, or unable to undertake its removal.

Meanwhile, the Hooker Chemical Corporation has agreed to clean up hazardous chemical waste in one of its former dumping sites near Niagara Falls, N.Y., th e Justice Department announced.