The intended audience for this document includes FSLTT government officials, as well as non- governmental and private-sector decision-makers who conduct, oversee, or are legally responsible for the characterization and remediation of an area or specific site(s) contaminated by hazardous chemicals following a nationally significant or large-scale release. Such groups could include private sector companies, government agency officials, elected and appointed officials, incident commanders, emergency managers, health and safety officials, and others charged with characterizing potential general area or site-specific contamination and/or making on-site remediation and re-occupancy decisions.
It is recognized that SLTT officials as well as individuals and organizations from the private sector will have important site-specific knowledge regarding existing response infrastructure and procedures for hazardous chemical release events. Additionally, private sector entities may also be considered “responsible parties” for important response and recovery activities under current U.S. law and regulation. The information provided in this document is intended to help improve risk-based decision making and the application of common approaches across agencies/organizations at all levels of governance.