What is CERCLA?
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
What is SARA?
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
What deals with abandoned hazardous waste sites?
CERCLA
Brownfields
Deals with less contaminated, underused sites where the potential liability for haz waste issues has hindered redevelopment on site.
Only sites that are listed under the ________ using specific criteria may be addressed under Superfund.
National Priorities List (NPL)
What does CERCLA do?
-establish prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites
-provides for liability of persons responsible for releases of haz waste at these sites
-establish a trust fund to provide cleanup when no responsible party could be identified
What is NCP?
National Contingency Plan
What is the NCP?
-The federal government’s blueprint for responding to both oil spills and hazardous substance releases
-describes steps to be taken in reporting and responding to releases
CERCLA provides authority for the following types of responses:
- CERCLA established a program to report spills of Hazardous substances
- CERCLA created an emergency response program to cleanup releases
- CERCLA established a remediable program for the permanent cleanup of uncontrolled releases from inactive or abandoned haz waste disposal sites
Any time a hazardous substance is released to the environment and it exceeds its reportable quantity within 24hour period, the release must be reported to ____
National Response Center
Superfund Remedial Process
A. Preliminary Site Assessment
B. NPL Site Listing
C. Remedial Investigation (Site Characterization)
D. Records of Decision
E. Remedial Design/Action
F. Construction Completion
G. Post Construction Completion
H. National Priorities List Deletion
I. Site Reuse/Redevelopment
What is the National Priorities List (NPL)?
-A list of the worst hazardous waste sites identified by the Superfund, based on the score a site receives from the Hazard Ranking System
-required to be revised at least annually
Hazard Ranking System (HRS)
A screening tool used to evaluate the risks to public health and the environment associated with a hazardous waste site.
What is the Data Quality Objective (DQO) Process?
Legally defensible data collection planning process for environmental decision making
Steps of DQO Process
- State the problem
- Identify the decision
- Identify inputs to the decision
- Define the study boundaries
- Develop a decision rule
- Specify limits on decision errors
- Optimize the design for obtaining data
Initial reportable quantity (RQ) under CERCLA?
1 pound
Reportable quantity adjustments under CERCLA?
Five RQ Levels:
1, 10, 100, 1000, 5000 pounds
Reportable quantity under EPCRA?
-360 extremely hazardous substances designated by Congress
-RQ based on substance’s acute lethal toxicity
What is Brownfields?
Real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance contamination
What is a Phase 1 ESA?
-all appropriate inquiry of the previous ownership
-gold standard for evaluating the environmental liability associated with a real estate asset
What is the All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) Rule?
-performance based
-assessment or evaluation of a property to identify potential environmental contamination and assess potential liability for any contamination present at the property
What are the 4 documentation required for an AAI?
- Opinion
- Identification of data gaps
- Qualifications and signatures
- Opinion regarding additional appropriate investigation
What is the baseline standard for a Phase 1 ESAs?
ASTM E1527-13
