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Hazardous Waste

A Toolbox for Corrective Action: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facilities Investigation Remedy Selection Track

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facilities Investigation Remedy Selection Track (FIRST) Toolbox for Corrective Action distills practical lessons learned and experiences contributed by federal, state, and regulated community representatives involved with investigation and remedy selection worldwide.

On this page:


The RCRA FIRST Approach:

EPA designed the RCRA FIRST approach to improve the efficiency of RCRA facility investigations and remedy selection at RCRA Corrective Action Facilities. The RCRA FIRST approach:

  • Addresses the root causes of delay, such as
    • Unclear or non-specific investigation or cleanup objectives and
    • Lack of specific opportunity and process to elevate differences among stakeholders early in the process.
  • Starts with multi-party understanding of the objectives in investigation and remedy selection phases.
  • Enhances communication among project stakeholders.
  • Promotes the principle of “done right the first time” and avoids re-do loops.
  • Advances critical decision-making through rapid elevation to resolve disputes.
  • Stays within the technical and regulatory framework of the corrective action program.

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The RCRA FIRST Toolbox

The RCRA FIRST toolbox and associated tools will help EPA Regional staff and their partners to take advantage of the efficiency and quality gains from the RCRA FIRST approach. The toolbox includes a how-to guide, process flow maps, and tools and templates to make it easier to complete different parts of the FIRST approach and monitor its effectiveness. Project teams can customize the resources to meet each region or state’s specific needs. The tools are also downloadable in individual files.

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.