[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 235 (Monday, December 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64588-64589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32044]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5932-8]


Use of Monitored Natural Attenuation at Superfund, RCRA 
Corrective Action, and Underground Storage Tank Sites; OSWER Directive 
9200.4-17; Interim Final

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This Directive clarifies the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency's (EPA) policy regarding the use of Monitored Natural 
Attenuation for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater at 
sites regulated under Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response 
(OSWER) programs. These include programs administered under the 
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 
(CERCLA or ``Superfund''), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
(RCRA), the Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), and the Federal 
Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO). The Directive is 
intended to promote consistency in how monitored natural attenuation 
remedies are proposed, evaluated, and approved. As a policy document, 
it does not provide technical guidance on evaluating Monitored Natural 
Attenuation remedies. This Directive is being issued as Interim Final 
and may be used immediately. It provides guidance to EPA staff, to the 
public, and to the regulated community on how EPA intends to exercise 
its discretion in implementing national policy on the use of Monitored 
Natural Attenuation. The document does not, however, substitute for 
EPA's statutes or regulations, nor is it a regulation itself and, thus, 
it does not impose legally-binding requirements on EPA, States, or the 
regulated community, and may not apply to a particular situation based 
upon the circumstances. EPA may change this guidance in the future, as 
appropriate.

ADDRESSES:
    Electronic Access. This document can be accessed in electronic form 
through the Internet (at http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/directiv/
d9200417.htm).
    Order Copies. To order paper copies of this report, please call the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) RCRA, Superfund, OUST & 
EPCRA Hotline at (800) 424-9346 or DC Area Local (703) 412-9810 or TDD 
(800) 553-7672 or TDD DC Area Local (703) 412-3323 Monday through 
Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST.
    Docket. This document is available at three OSWER dockets:
    (1) The UST Docket is open to the general public by appointment 
only between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. 
No security clearance is necessary. Visitors may make photocopies of 
documents. The street address is: Office of Underground Storage Tanks 
Docket, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, 13th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202. 
Telephone numbers are (703) 603-9231 (voice mail) and (703) 603-9163 
(fax).
    (2) The RCRA Docket is located in the RCRA Information Center 
(RIC). The RIC is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, however, it is recommended that visitors call ahead to 
make an appointment so that the material they wish to view is ready 
when they arrive. Patrons may call for assistance at (703) 603-9230, 
send a fax to (703) 603-9234, or send an E-mail to rcra-
[email protected]. Patrons may write to: RCRA Information Center 
(5305W), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460. The RIC is located at 1235 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, Ground Level, Arlington, VA 22202.
    (3) The Superfund Docket is open to the general public by 
appointment only between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through 
Friday. No clearance is necessary and requestors of documents must make 
their own photocopies. There is no photocopying charge for documents 
less than 266 pages in length. The street address of the Superfund 
Docket/Document Information Center is 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, 
Ground Level, Arlington, VA 22202. The telephone numbers are (703) 603-
9232 and (703) 603-9240 (fax). The E-mail address is: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the OSWER 
Monitored Natural Attenuation Directive Workgroup and the Interim Final 
Directive, contact Hal White, via E-mail at [email protected], 
telephone at (703) 603-7177, fax at (703) 603-9163, or via U.S. Mail to 
US EPA (5403G), 401 M Street, SW, Washington DC 20460.

[[Page 64589]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA will review and evaluate additional 
comments received on this Interim Final Directive prior to its 
release as ``Final'' guidance.

    Dated: November 17, 1997.
Anna Hopkins Virbick,
Director, Office of Underground Storage Tanks.
[FR Doc. 97-32044 Filed 12-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P