1.1 The purpose of this guide is to assist practitioners in the development, selection, design, and implementation of partial, short-term, or early action remedies undertaken at sites of waste contamination for the purpose of managing, controlling, or reducing risk posed by environmental site contamination. Early action remedies and strategies are applicable to the management of other regulatory processes (for example, state UST programs are equally applicable) in addition to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)/NCP process. This guide identifies and describes a standard process, technical requirements, information needs, benefits, and strategy for early actions.

1.2 This guide is applicable to both nonhazardous and hazardous sites of contamination as defined by CERCLA as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1986.

1.3 To the extent that this guide may be used for hazardous materials operations, it does not address the applicability of regulatory limitations and local requirements.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.