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:
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.
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.
- National Remedy Review Board Charter, August 2021 (PDF) (22 pp, 300 K)
For historical reference, the previous operating procedures are included here:
- National Remedy Review Board Criteria Revision and Operational Changes (PDF)(3 pp, 1 MB) September 4, 2014
- National Remedy Review Board Criteria Revision (PDF)(4 pp, 240 K) March 21, 2005
- OSRTI Sediment Team and NRRB Coordination at Large Sediment Sites (PDF)(8 pp, 140 K) March 3, 2005
- Clarification to 1998 Agreement Regarding the National Remedy Review Board Review Criteria for Department of Energy Non-Time Critical Removal Actions (PDF)(3 pp, 78 K) September 25, 2002
- Review of Department of Energy Non-Time-Critical Removal Actions by the National Remedy Review Board (PDF)(3 pp, 89 K) October 5, 1998
- Review of Non-Time-Critical Removal Actions by the National Remedy Review Board (PDF)(3 pp, 309 K) December 18, 1997
- National Remedy Review Board Progress and Operational Procedures (PDF)(8 pp, 82 K) September 26, 1996
- Formation of the National Superfund Remedy Review Board (PDF)(7 pp, 84 K) November 28, 1995
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 | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OSRTI | Christine Poore NRRB Chair |
poore.christine@epa.gov | (202) 566-0999 |
| FFRRO | Jed Costanza | costanza.jed@epa.gov | (202) 564-1866 |
| Region 1 | Bob Cianciarulo | cianciarulo.bob@epa.gov | (617) 918-1330 |
| Region 2 | Chloe Metz | metz.chloe@epa.gov | (202) 564-1866 |
| Region 3 | William Geiger | geiger.william@epa.gov | (215) 814-3413 |
| Region 4 | Derek Matory | matory.derek@epa.gov | (404) 562-8800 |
| Region 5 | Dion Novak | novak.dion@epa.gov | (312) 886-4737 |
| Region 6 | Chris Villarreal | villarreal.chris@epa.gov | (214) 665-6758 |
| Region 7 | Bo Hull | hull.owens@epa.gov | (913) 551-7226 |
| Region 8 | Andrew Schmidt | schmidt.andrew@epa.gov | (303) 312-6283 |
| Region 9 | John Chesnutt | chesnutt.john@epa.gov | (415) 972-3005 |
| Region 10 | Julie Wroble | wroble.julie@epa.gov | (206) 553-1079 |
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.
| 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