Another New Arrangement From EPA Designed To Settle Some Older Scores

When a company or other potentially responsible party (PRP) takes on a hazardous waste cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), it typically does so pursuant to some agreement with – or order from – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or state environmental agency. There are dozens of key terms in play when negotiating a judicial consent decree (CD) or administrative settlement agreement and order on consent (AOC) that will govern cleanup obligations and structure a respondent's ongoing relationship with the EPA, however the most important question, from a business perspective, is often the simplest: how much will this all cost?