Key Issues: Natural Resources Damage Assessment

Background

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) defines “natural resource damage assessment” as the process of collecting, compiling, and analyzing information, statistics, or data through prescribed methodologies to determine damages for injuries to natural resources.

Under CERCLA sections 107(a) and 120(a), federal agencies are "liable for damages or injury to, destruction of, or loss of natural resources, including the cost of assessing such damage (DOE 1993b, p1). However, CERCLA 113(g)(1) bars the filing of a claim for natural resource damages at any CERCLA NPL site or federal facility until after the selection of the remedial action (GAO 1996).

Important Documents

• NAAG: Natural Resource Damages Issues at Federal Facilities (External Link)
• Management Controls over Assessing Natural Resource Damage at
  Rocky Flats: DOE Inspector General's Audit Report, OAS-M-06-02 (11/30/05)

• NRD Research Questions from DOE-EM (5/04/05)

• DOI NRDA Advisory Committee Homepage (External Link)
• DOD - Interim Policy on Integration of Natural Resource Injury Responsibilities and Environmental Restoration Activities (5/02/00) (External Link)

• Conference call summary Matthew Duchesne (3/29/05)

• Brief Overview of NRDA Issues (3/09/05)

• NRD: The Green Book (6/04/91)
• NRD Policy: Integrating Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Environmental Restoration Activities at DOE Facilities (10/01/93) (External Link)