Draft2:Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order

Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order on Wikipedia

The Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order establishes deadlines for the remediation and closure of sites of historic contamination in Nevada.

The Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) is a three-party agreement between the State of Nevada, acting by and through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) and the Office of Legacy Management (DOE/LM), and the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The FFACO applies to land controlled, managed, owned, or leased by the DOE and/or DOD in the state of Nevada. The DoD's responsibilities are limited to those areas at the NNSS where DoD has conducted activities. The DOE/LM's responsibilities are limited to the two Nevada Off-Sites, CNTA and PSA.

Purposes of the FFACO include, but are not limited to, identifying sites of potential historic contamination and implementing corrective actions based on public health and environmental considerations on the NNSS, the NTTR, the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), CNTA and PSA. 

The Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order is an agreement that outlines a schedule of cleanup and monitoring commitments for sites contaminated by historic nuclear testing activities conducted by DOE and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in Nevada. The Agreement ensures these government entities work together to authorize cost-effective corrective actions in the state. It also establishes a framework for identifying, prioritizing, investigating, remediating, and monitoring contaminated sites. The FFACO, with its six appendices, is a legally binding document that also satisfies the corrective action requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a federal law that must be followed for managing hazardous materials from generation to disposal.

Partnerships

The Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) is a three-party agreement between the State of Nevada, acting by and through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) and the DOE/Office of Legacy Management (DOE/LM), and the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The FFACO applies to land controlled, managed, owned, or leased by the DOE and/or DOD in the state of Nevada. The DoD's responsibilities are limited to those areas at the NNSS where DoD has conducted activities. The DOE/LM's responsibilities are limited to the two Nevada Off-Sites, CNTA and PSA.

Core functions

The Agreement outlines a schedule of cleanup and monitoring commitments to:

1. Formalize relationships among the State of Nevada, DOE,

and the DoD

1. Identify sites of potential historic contamination and

prioritizes them for cleanup

1. Define the regulations the State of Nevada will use to direct

and enforce corrective action activities

1. Establish a corrective action strategy for cleanup activities
2. Provide public involvement opportunities
3. Implementing corrective actions based on public health and environmental considerations on the National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Field Office (NNSA), the Nevada Testing and Training Range (NTTR), the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Central Nevada Testing Area (CNTA), and Project Shoal Area (PSA).

Related Links

National Nuclear Secruity Administration

External links

• Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order Full Text
  
• Nevada National Security Site Agreement Overview
  
• Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Agreement Overview
  
• https://ndep.nv.gov/land/department-of-energy-oversight/federal-facility-agreement-consent-order-ffaco

News

Was discussed in the DOE Weekly Report 03 December 2009 with the following highlight:

• Tonopah Test Range (TTR): More than 1,200 acres of the TTR, which is located in central Nevada, are being cleared of munitions and explosives using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Environmental cleanup of this area, known as the Bomblet Target Area, is the responsibility of the DOE/NNSA in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). The FFACO establishes deadlines for the remediation and closure of sites of historic contamination in Nevada. TV Channel 8-Las Vegas, NV, has asked to visit the area to film cleaning activities. This request is being coordinated with the Air Force and the NNSA Sandia Site Office (NSO).