FACA

Background

U.S. DOI NRDAR Advisory Committee Web Resource for Industry

On April 12, 2005, the Secretary of the Interior established the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Advisory Committee ("FACA Committee") in accordance with Section 9(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972. A Notice of Establishment was published in the April 20, 2005 Federal Register. The FACA Charter states that the FACA Committee "will provide advice and recommendations on issues related to the Department's authorities, responsibilities, and implementation of the natural resource damage provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; the Oil Pollution Act; and the Clean Water Act." According to the FACA Committee's Interim Bylaws and Operating Procedures, "the Committee's initial focus will be to assist the Department of the Interior in fulfilling its obligation to promulgate and review regulations outlining procedures for the assessment of natural resource injury or destruction caused by hazardous substance releases, and the determination of appropriate natural resource restoration to address such injury or destruction." For more information, see US DOI Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Advisory Committee Webpage.

The FACA Committee, comprised of 30 appointees (see Appointees List), representing the Department of the Interior, other Federal Natural Resource Trustees, State Natural Resource Trustees, Tribal Natural Resource Trustees, Business and Industry, National and Local Environmental Groups, and Academia, completed its report on May 1, 2007.

Industry has an important continuing role to play as the FACA Committee report recommendations are implemented and therefore, this website will be maintained for the foreseeable future. The FACA Committee's mandate included discussion of multiple issues of direct consequence to potentially responsible parties related to natural resource damage claims (see the four questions posed to the committee's subgroups). Industry input will continue to be important in shaping the future of the NRD program under CERCLA nationwide.