Headquarters Consultations and National Remedy Review Board

The Office of Superfund Remediation Technology Innovation is the EPA Headquarters office for the Superfund program. The office provides support to regional offices in policy interpretation and requirements and provides site-specific support to ensure remedial and non-time critical removal decision documents comply with statutory and regulatory requirements and consider Agency policy to the extent appropriate. Various initiatives and policy memoranda direct the regions to consult with OSRTI, generally prior to a proposed action. A list of these initiatives and memoranda is below.

Consultation Policies and Initiatives

Consolidated Guide to Consultation Procedures for Superfund Response Decisions (PDF)(3 pp, 9 K)
- Fact Sheet (PDF)(7 pp, 112 K)
  EPA 540/F-97/009,OSWER 9200.1-18FS, NTIS:PB97-963216

Developed to clarify and consolidate the various EPA Headquarters consultation procedures established for response selection decision making. It specifies continuation of the consultation procedures established in 1996 for the four focus areas (see OSWER 9200.1-17 below).

Focus Areas for Headquarters Support for Regional Decision-Making (PDF)(24 pp, 1.3 MB)
OSWER 9200.1-17

Identifies selected issue areas that represent the current focus of OSRTI's national Regional coordination effort. These areas include risk management and cost-effectiveness, decision documentation, ground water policy, lead policy, and presumptive remedies implementation.

National Consistency in Superfund Remedy Selection (PDF)(6 pp, 48 K)
OSWER 9200.0-21

This directive to Regional Division Directors requests that program managers fully use existing tools and consultation opportunities to promote national consistency in remedy selection.

Guidance on Non-NPL Removal Actions Involving Nationally Significant or Precedent-Setting Issues (PDF)(9 pp, 69 K)
OSWER 9360.0-19

Outlines the defining criteria to determine if a non-NPL removal action requires Headquarters concurrence. Also details procedural requirements that should accommodate removals belonging to five categories not requiring concurrence. For mercury policies, see updated directive: "Concurrence Policy For Mercury Removals" (5/98)

Use of Non-Time-Critical Removal Authority in Superfund Response Actions (PDF)(7 pp, 68 K)
OSWER 9360.0-40P

Will guide project managers during the decision process of selecting between remedial and removal actions. Also specifies the circumstances under which site managers must consult with Headquarters before performing a non-time-critical removal.

Concurrence Policy for Mercury Removals (PDF)(3 pp, 36 K)
OSWER 9360.1-05, May 1998

Modifies Headquarters consultation requirements concerning removal actions addressing certain residential mercury contaminations. Mercury contamination will no longer be considered "nationally significant" unless the contamination is contained within the building structure, in which case consultation requirements should be followed in accordance with "Response Actions at Sites with Contamination Inside Buildings" (August 1993).

Lead Site Response Decisions: Formation of the Lead Sites Consultation Group (PDF)(5 pp, 56 K)
May 1997, OSWER 9355.4-26

Reiterates the three site criteria that could trigger review of lead-related Proposed Plans and summarizes the consultation requirements for such sites.

Delegations of Authority

The following documents delegate the authority to select responses under CERCLA at federal and non-federal sites to the Assistant Administrator of Office of Land and Emergency Management, and to the EPA Regional Administrators when the estimated cost in the decision document is less than $100 million.