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The US Department of the Interior (DOI) Federal Advisory Committee on Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration describes NRDAR as the process used to determine whether public natural resources have been injured, destroyed, or lost as a result of a release of hazardous substances or oil and to identify the actions and funds necessary to restore such resources.
NRDAR is authorized by US federal statutes such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and the Oil Pollution Act (OPA). These statutes designate Federal, State, and Tribal government officials to act as “trustees” on behalf of the public to recover damages from responsible parties to restore injured, destroyed or lost natural resources. In addition, over 30 States have legislation or regulations authorizing the recovery of natural resource damages.
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