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Superfund

National Remedy Review Board (NRRB)

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Introduction

The National Remedy Review Board (NRRB) consults and advises on some of the Superfund program’s most complex remedy decisions to ensure national consistency in remedy selection.   The Board advises and evaluates ongoing regional technical work during the scoping stage of the feasibility study for response decisions. NRRB review focuses on:

  • advising on overall site management/response strategy
  • addressing the need for additional data necessary to support nationally consistent remedy selection
  • evaluating the range of alternatives that should be considered

EPA created the NRRB in January 1996 and revised the Board's charter in March 2020 as part of the Superfund Task Force (SFTF) efforts to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the Superfund program. The revised charter is meant to improve national consistency and provide earlier and more frequent engagement during the development and selection remedies. EPA revisions to the process are expected to result in a more collaborative approach that allows for early stakeholder engagement and improved national consistency. Changes include: :

  • Sites will be nominated after a discussion between the Region and EPA Headquarters (HQ), rather than having a dollar threshold.
  • Reviews will be moved to earlier in the Feasibility Study process and the board will work with region to develop a suite of remedial alternatives.
  • A second, smaller review will occur at the detailed alternatives analysis stage.
  • Lessons learned will be developed so others can gain from the insights of site reviews.

For more information on the changes made to the NRRB process, see:

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Site Universe

The NRRB reviews include interim, early and final Superfund response and NTCRA decisions at both National Priorities List (NPL) and non-NPL sites (including Superfund Alternative Approach sites), including Federal Facility sites. The Board will focus on upcoming response decisions, including Record Of Decisions (ROD),  Record Of Decision Amendments (RODAs), and Non-Time-Critical Removal Action (NTCRA) memoranda. Generally, the Board will not review Explanation of Significant Decisions (ESD), although exceptions may be made should site-specific circumstances warrant.

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NRRB Operating Procedures

Site Selection Process

Sites will be nominated after a discussion with the Region and HQ. Candidate sites will be selected based on technical and programmatic considerations that would benefit from a broader peer review. The following is a suggested set of considerations to guide whether a remedy merits NRRB review:

Technical Considerations

  • Complex Conditions:
    • Hydrogeologic
    • Geochemical
  • Complex and/or Emerging Contaminants
  • Large-Scale Sites
  • Innovative Technologies

Programmatic Considerations

  • Unique Remedial Action Objectives
  • Adaptive Management
    • Early/Interim Actions
  • Overlapping Regulatory Responsibilities
  • Complex Institutional Controls
  • New Agency Guidance
  • Commonality of Issues Presented

NRRB Charter

The NRRB Charter outlines the Board’s operating procedures.

For historical reference, the previous operating procedures are included here:

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Membership

The NRRB is  comprised of EPA managers and senior technical and policy experts with significant experience in Superfund remedy selection issues. The NRRB membership consists of the NRRB Chair, a Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) member, regional members, and an extensive cohort of ad hoc members including legal, policy, and technical experts. Below is a list of standing members.

Region/Office Member Email Phone
OSRTI Christine Poore
NRRB Chair
poore.christine@epa.gov (703) 603-9022
FFRRO Emerald Laija laija.emerald@epa.gov (202) 564-2724
Region 1 Bob Cianciarulo cianciarulo.bob@epa.gov (617) 918-1330
Region 2 Chloe Metz metz.chloe@epa.gov (212) 637-3955
Region 3 John Epps epps.john@epa.gov (215) 814-3144
Region 4 Derek Matory matory.derek@epa.gov (404) 562-8800
Region 5 Nefertiti DiCosmo dicosmo.nefertiti@epa.gov (312) 886-6148
Region 6 Chris Villarreal villarreal.chris@epa.gov (214) 665-6758
Region 7 Lynn Juett juett.lynn@epa.gov (913) 551-7883
Region 8 Steve Wharton wharton.steve@epa.gov (303) 312-6935
Region 9 John Chesnutt chesnutt.john@epa.gov (415) 972-3005
Region 10 Kathy Cerise  cerise.kathryn@epa.gov (206) 553-2589
Facilitator Lois Gartner gartner.lois@epa.gov (703) 603-5311

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Site Reviews

After each NRRB review, a memo is prepared with its findings and recommendations for the Region. The Region usually responds with a memo before issuing the Proposed Plan for the site.

This page provides the site names of proposed Superfund site cleanups reviewed by the NRRB with links to each document. For all sites prior to March 2020, sites that met cost-based review criteria were reviewed. Sites reviewed after March 2020 were selected for review based on the criteria outlined in the March 2020 charter. NRRB recommendation memoranda and EPA regional response memoranda are provided below where available.

Search for Site Reviews
Date Region State Site Name Pub Number Description Title Doc ID Collections EPA ID
Date Region State Site Name Pub Number Description Title Doc ID Collections EPA ID

Collection: 31675

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