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1.1 The purpose of this guide is to assist practitioners in the development, selection, design, and implementation of interim, short-term, or early action remedies undertaken at sites of waste contamination for the purpose of managing, controlling, or reducing risk posed by environmental site contamination. Early action remedies and strategies are applicable to the management of other regulatory processes (for example, state underground storage tank (UST) programs are equally applicable) in addition to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)/National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contigency Plan (NCP) process. This guide identifies and describes a standard process, technical requirements, information needs, benefits, and strategy for early actions.

1.2 This guide is applicable to both nonhazardous and hazardous sites of contamination as defined by CERCLA as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1986.

1.3 To the extent that this guide may be used for hazardous materials operations, it does not address the applicability of regulatory limitations and local requirements.

1.4 This guide offers an organized collection of information or a series of options and does not recommend a specific course of action. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this guide may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

5.1 This guide is intended to provide a systematic approach for the application and execution of early actions for purposes of remediating both hazardous and non-hazardous contamination. Iterative development of a CSM is fundamental to the use of this guide.

5.2 Anticipated users of this guide are owners or operators at sites of environmental contamination; technical professionals involved in the field of environmental site characterization and remediation; environmental regulators, property owners, employees, and residents adjacent to sites of environmental contamination; and lenders, sureties, and persons of general interest within an affected community.

5.3 This guide is not intended to replace legal requirements for remediating sites of environmental contamination. This guide should be used to supplement existing regulatory guidance and to focus remedial efforts toward final remedy solutions.