(a) EPA shall ensure meaningful and substantial state involvement in hazardous substance response as specified in this subpart. EPA shall provide an opportunity for state participation in removal, pre-remedial, remedial, and enforcement response activities. EPA shall encourage states to enter into an EPA/state Superfund Memorandum of Agreement (SMOA) under § 300.505 to increase state involvement and strengthen the EPA/state partnership.

(b) EPA shall encourage states to participate in Fund-financed response in two ways. Pursuant to § 300.515(a), states may either assume the lead through a cooperative agreement for the response action or may be the support agency in EPA-lead remedial response. Section 300.515 sets forth requirements for state involvement in EPA-lead remedial and enforcement response and also addresses comparable requirements for EPA involvement in state-lead remedial and enforcement response. Section 300.520 specifies requirements for state involvement in EPA-lead enforcement negotiations. Section 300.525 specifies requirements for state involvement in removal actions. In addition to the requirements set forth in this subpart, 40 CFR part 35, subpart O, “Cooperative Agreements and Superfund State Contracts for Superfund Response Actions,” contains further requirements for state participation during response.

(a) The SMOA may establish the nature and extent of EPA and state interaction during EPA-lead and state-lead response (Indian tribes meeting the requirements of § 300.515(b) may be treated as states for purposes of this section). EPA shall enter into SMOA discussions if requested by a state. The following may be addressed in a SMOA:

(1) The EPA/state or Indian tribe relationship for removal, pre-remedial, remedial, and enforcement response, including a description of the roles and the responsibilities of each.

(2) The general requirements for EPA oversight. Oversight requirements may be more specifically defined in cooperative agreements.

(3) The general nature of lead and support agency interaction regarding the review of key documents and/or decision points in removal, pre-remedial, remedial, and enforcement response. The requirements for EPA and state review of each other's key documents when each is serving as the support agency shall be equivalent to the extent practicable. Review times agreed to in the SMOA must also be documented in site-specific cooperative agreements or Superfund state contracts in order to be binding.

(4) Procedures for modification of the SMOA (e.g., if EPA and a state agree that the lead and support agency roles and responsibilities have changed, or if modifications are required to achieve desired goals).

(b) The SMOA and any modifications thereto shall be executed by the EPA Regional Administrator and the head of the state agency designated as lead agency for state implementation of CERCLA.

(c) Site-specific agreements entered into pursuant to section 104(d)(1) of CERCLA shall be developed in accordance with 40 CFR part 35, subpart O. The SMOA shall not supersede such agreements.

(d)(1) EPA and the state shall consult annually to determine priorities and make lead and support agency designations for removal, pre-remedial, remedial, and enforcement response to be conducted during the next fiscal year and to discuss future priorities and long-term requirements for response. These consultations shall include the exchange of information on both Fund- and non-Fund-financed response activities. The SMOA may describe the timeframe and process for the EPA/state consultation.

(2) The following activities shall be discussed in the EPA/state consultations established in the SMOA, or otherwise initiated and documented in writing in the absence of a SMOA, on a site-specific basis with EPA and the state identifying the lead agency for each response action discussed:

(i) Pre-remedial response actions, including preliminary assessments and site inspections;

(ii) Hazard Ranking System scoring and NPL listing and deletion activities;

(iii) Remedial phase activities, including remedial investigation/feasibility study, identification of potential applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) under federal and state environmental laws and, as appropriate, other advisories, criteria, or guidance to be considered (TBCs), proposed plan, ROD, remedial design, remedial action, and operation and maintenance;

(iv) Potentially responsible party (PRP) searches, notices to PRPs, response to information requests, PRP negotiations, oversight of PRPs, other enforcement actions pursuant to state law, and activities where the state provides support to EPA;

(v) Compilation and maintenance of the administrative record for selection of a response action as required by subpart I of this part;

(vi) Related site support activities;

(vii) State ability to share in the cost and timing of payments; and

(viii) General CERCLA implementation activities.

(3) If a state is designated as the lead agency for a non-Fund-financed action at an NPL site, the SMOA shall be supplemented by site-specific enforcement agreements between EPA and the state which specify schedules and EPA involvement.

(4) In the absence of a SMOA, EPA and the state shall comply with the requirements in § 300.515(h). If the SMOA does not address all of the requirements specified in § 300.515(h), EPA and the state shall comply with any unaddressed requirements in that section.

(a) A Fund-financed remedial action undertaken pursuant to CERCLA section 104(a) cannot proceed unless a state provides its applicable required assurances. The assurances must be provided by the state prior to the initiation of remedial action pursuant to a Superfund state contract for EPA-lead (or political subdivision-lead) remedial action or pursuant to a cooperative agreement for a state-lead remedial action. The SMOA may not be used for this purpose. Federally recognized Indian tribes are not required to provide CERCLA section 104(c)(3) assurances for Fund-financed response actions. Further requirements pertaining to state, political subdivision, and federally recognized Indian tribe involvement in CERCLA response are found in 40 CFR part 35, subpart O.

(b)(1) The state is not required to share in the cost of state- or EPA-lead Fund-financed removal actions (including remedial planning activities associated with remedial actions) conducted pursuant to CERCLA section 104 unless the facility was operated by the state or a political subdivision thereof at the time of disposal of hazardous substances therein and a remedial action is ultimately undertaken at the site. Such remedial planning activities include, but are not limited to, remedial investigations (RIs), feasibility studies (FSs), and remedial design (RD). States shall be required to share 50 percent, or greater, in the cost of all Fund-financed response actions if the facility was publicly operated at the time of the disposal of hazardous substances. For other facilities, except federal facilities, the state shall be required to share 10 percent of the cost of the remedial action.

(2) CERCLA section 104(c)(5) provides that EPA shall grant a state credit for reasonable, documented, direct, out-of-pocket, non-federal expenditures subject to the limitations specified in CERCLA section 104(c)(5). For a state to apply credit toward its cost share, it must enter into a cooperative agreement or Superfund state contract. The state must submit as soon as possible, but no later than at the time CERCLA section 104 assurances are provided for a remedial action, its accounting of eligible credit expenditures for EPA verification. Additional credit requirements are contained in 40 CFR part 35, subpart O.

(3) Credit may be applied to a state's future cost share requirements at NPL sites for response expenditures or obligations incurred by the state or a political subdivision from January 1, 1978 to December 11, 1980, and for the remedial action expenditures incurred only by the state after October 17, 1986.

(4) Credit that exceeds the required cost share at the site for which the credit is granted may be transferred to another site to offset a state's required remedial action cost share.

(c)(1) Prior to a Fund-financed remedial action, the state must also provide its assurance in accordance with CERCLA section 104(c)(3)(A) to assume responsibility for operation and maintenance of implemented remedial actions for the expected life of such actions. In addition, when appropriate, as part of the O&M assurance, the state must assure that any institutional controls implemented as part of the remedial action at a site are in place, reliable, and will remain in place after the initiation of O&M. The state and EPA shall consult on a plan for operation and maintenance prior to the initiation of a remedial action.

(2) After a joint EPA/State inspection of the implemented Fund-financed remedial action under § 300.515(g), EPA may share, for any extension period established in § 300.435(f)(2), in the cost of the operation of the remedy to ensure that the remedy is operational and functional. In the case of restoration of ground or surface water, EPA shall share in the cost of the State's operation of ground- or surface-water restoration remedial actions as specified in § 300.435(f)(3).

(d) In accordance with CERCLA sections 104 (c)(3)(B) and 121(d)(3), if the remedial action requires off-site storage, destruction, treatment, or disposal, the state must provide its assurance before the remedial action begins on the availability of a hazardous waste disposal facility that is in compliance with CERCLA section 121(d)(3) and is acceptable to EPA.

(e)(1) In accordance with CERCLA section 104(c)(9), EPA shall not provide any remedial action pursuant to CERCLA section 104 until the state in which the release occurs enters into a cooperative agreement or Superfund state contract with EPA providing assurances deemed adequate by EPA that the state will assure the availability of hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities which:

(i) Have adequate capacity for the destruction, treatment, or secure disposition of all hazardous wastes that are reasonably expected to be generated within the state during the 20-year period following the date of such cooperative agreement or Superfund state contract and to be destroyed, treated, or disposed;

(ii) Are within the state, or outside the state in accordance with an interstate agreement or regional agreement or authority;

(iii) Are acceptable to EPA; and

(iv) Are in compliance with the requirements of Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act.

(2) This rule does not address whether or not Indian tribes are states for purposes of this paragraph (e).

(f) EPA may determine that an interest in real property must be acquired in order to conduct a response action. However, as provided in CERCLA section 104(j)(2), EPA may acquire an interest in real estate in order to conduct a remedial action only if the State in which the interest to be acquired is located provides assurances, through a contract, cooperative agreement or otherwise, that the State will accept transfer of the interest upon completion of the remedial action. For purposes of this paragraph, “completion of the remedial action” is the point at which operation and maintenance (O&M) measures would be initiated pursuant to § 300.435(f). The State may accept a transfer of interest at an earlier point in time if agreed upon in writing by the State and EPA. Indian tribe assurances are to be provided as set out at 40 CFR part 35, subpart O, § 35.6110(b)(2).

[55 FR 8853, Mar. 8, 1990, as amended at 59 FR 35854, July 14, 1994]

(a) General. (1) States are encouraged to undertake actions authorized under subpart E. Section 104(d)(1) of CERCLA authorizes EPA to enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with a state, political subdivision, or a federally recognized Indian tribe to carry out Fund-financed response actions authorized under CERCLA, when EPA determines that the state, the political subdivision, or federally recognized Indian tribe has the capability to undertake such actions. EPA will use a cooperative agreement to transfer funds to those entities to undertake Fund-financed response activities. The requirements for states, political subdivisions, or Indian tribes to receive funds as a lead or support agency for response are addressed at 40 CFR part 35, subpart O.

(2) For EPA-lead Fund-financed remedial planning activities, including, but not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency acceptance of the support agency role during an EPA-lead response shall be documented in a letter, SMOA, or cooperative agreement. Superfund state contracts are unnecessary for this purpose.

(3) Cooperative agreements and Superfund state contracts are only appropriate for non-Fund-financed response actions if a state intends to seek credit for remedial action expenses under § 300.510.

(b) Indian tribe involvement during response. To be afforded substantially the same treatment as states under section 104 of CERCLA, the governing body of the Indian tribe must:

(1) Be federally recognized; and

(2) Have a tribal governing body that is currently performing governmental functions to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the affected population or to protect the environment within a defined geographic area; and

(3) Have jurisdiction over a site at which Fund-financed response, including pre-remedial activities, is contemplated.

(c) State involvement in PA/SI and National Priorities List process. EPA shall ensure state involvement in the listing and deletion process by providing states opportunities for review, consultation, or concurrence specified in this section.

(1) EPA shall consult with states as appropriate on the information to be used in developing HRS scores for releases.

(2) EPA shall, to the extent feasible, provide the state 30 working days to review releases which were scored by EPA and which will be considered for placement on the National Priorities List (NPL).

(3) EPA shall provide the state 30 working days to review and concur on the Notice of Intent to Delete a release from the NPL. Section 300.425 describes the EPA/state consultation and concurrence process for deleting releases from the NPL.

(d) State involvement in RI/FS process. A key component of the EPA/state partnership shall be the communication of potential federal and state ARARs and, as appropriate, other pertinent advisories, criteria, or guidance to be considered (TBCs).

(1) In accordance with §§ 300.400(g) and 300.430, the lead and support agencies shall identify their respective potential ARARs and communicate them to each other in a timely manner, i.e., no later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that sufficient time is available for the lead agency to consider and incorporate all potential ARARs without inordinate delays and duplication of effort. The lead and support agencies may also identify TBCs and communicate them in a timely manner.

(2) When a state and EPA have entered into a SMOA, the SMOA may specify a consultation process which requires the lead agency to solicit potential ARARs at specified points in the remedial planning and remedy selection processes. At a minimum, the SMOA shall include the points specified in § 300.515(h)(2). The SMOA shall specify timeframes for support agency response to lead agency requests to ensure that potential ARARs are identified and communicated in a timely manner. Such timeframes must also be documented in site-specific agreements. The SMOA may also discuss identification and communication of TBCs.

(3) If EPA in its statement of a proposed plan intends to waive any state-identified ARARs, or does not agree with the state that a certain state standard is an ARAR, it shall formally notify the state when it submits the RI/FS report for state review or responds to the state's submission of the RI/FS report.

(4) EPA shall respond to state comments on waivers from or disagreements about state ARARs, as well as the preferred alternative when making the RI/FS report and proposed plan available for public comment.

(e) State involvement in selection of remedy. (1) Both EPA and the state shall be involved in preliminary discussions of the alternatives addressed in the FS prior to preparation of the proposed plan and ROD. At the conclusion of the RI/FS, the lead agency, in conjunction with the support agency, shall develop a proposed plan. The support agency shall have an opportunity to comment on the plan. The lead agency shall publish a notice of availability of the RI/FS report and a brief analysis of the proposed plan pursuant to § 300.430(e) and (f). Included in the proposed plan shall be a statement that the lead and support agencies have reached agreement or, where this is not the case, a statement explaining the concerns of the support agency with the lead agency's proposed plan. The state may not publish a proposed plan that EPA has not approved. EPA may assume the lead from the state if agreement cannot be reached.

(2)(i) EPA and the state shall identify, at least annually, sites for which RODs will be prepared during the next fiscal year, in accordance with § 300.515(h)(1). For all EPA-lead sites, EPA shall prepare the ROD and provide the state an opportunity to concur with the recommended remedy. For Fund-financed state-lead sites, EPA and the state shall designate sites, in a site-specific agreement, for which the state shall prepare the ROD and seek EPA's concurrence and adoption of the remedy specified therein, and sites for which EPA shall prepare the ROD and seek the state's concurrence. EPA and the state may designate sites for which the state shall prepare the ROD for non-Fund-financed state-lead enforcement response actions (i.e., actions taken under state law) at an NPL site. The state may seek EPA's concurrence in the remedy specified therein. Either EPA or the state may choose not to designate a site as state-lead.

(ii) State concurrence on a ROD is not a prerequisite to EPA's selecting a remedy, i.e., signing a ROD, nor is EPA's concurrence a prerequisite to a state's selecting a remedy at a non-Fund-financed state-lead enforcement site under state law. Unless EPA's Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response or Regional Administrator concurs in writing with a state-prepared ROD, EPA shall not be deemed to have approved the state decision. A state may not proceed with a Fund-financed response action unless EPA has first concurred in and adopted the ROD. Section 300.510(a) specifies limitations on EPA's proceeding with a remedial action without state assurances.

(iii) The lead agency shall provide the support agency with a copy of the signed ROD for remedial actions to be conducted pursuant to CERCLA.

(iv) On state-lead sites identified for EPA concurrence, the state generally shall be expected to maintain its lead agency status through the completion of the remedial action.

(f) Enhancement of remedy. (1) A state may ask EPA to make changes in or expansions of a remedial action selected under subpart E.

(i) If EPA finds that the proposed change or expansion is necessary and appropriate to the EPA-selected remedial action, the remedy may be modified (consistent with § 300.435(c)(2)) and any additional costs paid as part of the remedial action.

(ii) If EPA finds that the proposed change or expansion is not necessary to the selected remedial action, but would not conflict or be inconsistent with the EPA-selected remedy, EPA may agree to integrate the proposed change or expansion into the planned CERCLA remedial work if:

(A) The state agrees to fund the entire additional cost associated with the change or expansion; and

(B) The state agrees to assume the lead for supervising the state-funded component of the remedy or, if EPA determines that the state-funded component cannot be conducted as a separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy.

(2) Where a state does not concur in a remedial action secured by EPA under CERCLA section 106, and the state desires to have the remedial action conform to an ARAR that has been waived under § 300.430(f)(1)(ii)(C), a state may seek to have that remedial action so conform, in accordance with the procedures set out in CERCLA section 121(f)(2) .

(g) State involvement in remedial design/remedial action. The extent and nature of state involvement during remedial design and remedial action shall be specified in site-specific cooperative agreements or Superfund state contracts, consistent with 40 CFR part 35, subpart O. For Fund-financed remedial actions, the lead and support agencies shall conduct a joint inspection at the conclusion of construction of the remedial action to determine that the remedy has been constructed in accordance with the ROD and with the remedial design.

(h) Requirements for state involvement in absence of SMOA. In the absence of a SMOA, EPA and the state shall comply with the requirements in § 300.515(h). If the SMOA does not address all of the requirements specified in § 300.515(h), EPA and the state shall comply with any unaddressed requirements in that section.

(1) Annual consultations. EPA shall conduct consultations with states at least annually to establish priorities and identify and document in writing the lead for remedial and enforcement response for each NPL site within the state for the upcoming fiscal year. States shall be given the opportunity to participate in long-term planning efforts for remedial and enforcement response during these annual consultations.

(2) Identification of ARARs and TBCs. The lead and support agencies shall discuss potential ARARs during the scoping of the RI/FS. The lead agency shall request potential ARARs from the support agency no later than the time that the site characterization data are available. The support agency shall communicate in writing those potential ARARs to the lead agency within 30 working days of receipt of the lead agency request for these ARARs. The lead and support agencies may also discuss and communicate other pertinent advisories, criteria, or guidance to be considered (TBCs). After the initial screening of alternatives has been completed but prior to initiation of the comparative analysis conducted during the detailed analysis phase of the FS, the lead agency shall request that the support agency communicate any additional requirements that are applicable or relevant and appropriate to the alternatives contemplated within 30 working days of receipt of this request. The lead agency shall thereafter consult the support agency to ensure that identified ARARs and TBCs are updated as appropriate.

(3) Support agency review of lead agency documents. The lead agency shall provide the support agency an opportunity to review and comment on the RI/FS, proposed plan, ROD, and remedial design, and any proposed determinations on potential ARARs and TBCs. The support agency shall have a minimum of 10 working days and a maximum of 15 working days to provide comments to the lead agency on the RI/FS, ROD, ARAR/TBC determinations, and remedial design. The support agency shall have a minimum of five working days and a maximum of 10 working days to comment on the proposed plan.

(i) Administrative record requirements. The state, where it is the lead agency for a Fund-financed site, shall compile and maintain the administrative record for selection of a response action under subpart I of this part unless specified otherwise in the SMOA.

(a) EPA shall notify states of response action negotiations to be conducted by EPA with potentially responsible parties during each fiscal year.

(b) The state must notify EPA of such negotiations in which it intends to participate.

(c) The state is not foreclosed from signing a consent decree if it does not participate substantially in the negotiations.

(a) States may undertake Fund-financed removal actions pursuant to a cooperative agreement with EPA. State-lead removal actions taken pursuant to cooperative agreements must be conducted in accordance with § 300.415 on removal actions, and 40 CFR part 35, subpart O.

(b) States are not required under section 104(c)(3) of CERCLA to share in the cost of a Fund-financed removal action, unless the removal is conducted at an NPL site that was operated by a state or political subdivision at the time of disposal of hazardous substances therein and a Fund-financed remedial action is ultimately undertaken at the site. In this situation, states are required to share, 50 percent or greater, in the cost of all removal (including remedial planning) and remedial action costs at the time of the remedial action.

(c) States are encouraged to provide for post-removal site control as discussed in § 300.415(k) for all Fund-financed removal actions.

(d) States shall be responsible for identifying potential state ARARs for all Fund-financed removal actions and for providing such ARARs to EPA in a timely manner for all EPA-lead removal actions.

(e) EPA shall consult with a state on all removal actions to be conducted in that state.