This regulation establishes and governs procedures for the arbitration of EPA cost recovery claims arising under section 107(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9607(a), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99-499, 100 Stat. 1613 (1986) (“CERCLA”), pursuant to the authority granted EPA by section 122(h)(2) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9622(h)(2), and Executive Order No. 12580, 52 FR 2923 (January 29, 1987).

The procedures established by this regulation govern the arbitration of EPA claims for recovery, under section 107(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9607(a), of response costs incurred at or in connection with a facility by the United States pursuant to section 104 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9604. The procedures are applicable when:

(a) The total past and projected response costs for the facility concerned do not exceed $500,000, excluding interest; and

(b) The Administrator and one or more PRPs have submitted a joint request for arbitration pursuant to § 304.21 of this part.

Terms not defined in this section have the meaning given by section 101 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9601,or,40. All time deadlines in this part are specified in calendar days and shall be computed in the manner described in Rule 6(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Except when otherwise specified, the following terms are defined for purposes of this part as follows:

(a) CERCLA means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9601, et seq., as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, Pub. L. 99-499, 100 Stat. 1613 (1986).

(b) Administrator means the EPA Administrator or his designee.

(c) Arbitrator means the person appointed in accordance with § 304.22 of this part and governed by the provisions of this part.

(d) Association means the organization offering arbitration services selected by EPA to conduct arbitrations pursuant to this part.

(e) Claim means the amount sought by EPA as recovery of response costs incurred and to be incurred by the United States at a facility, which does not exceed $500,000, excluding interest.

(f) Ex parte communication means any communication, written or oral, relating to the merits of the arbitral proceeding, between the Arbitrator and any interested person, which was not originally filed or stated in the administrative record of the proceeding. Such communication is not ex parte communication if all parties to the proceeding have received prior written notice of the proposed communication and have been given the opportunity to be present and to participate therein.

(g) Interested person means the Administrator, any EPA employee, any party to the proceeding, any potentially responsible party associated with the facility concerned, any person who filed written comments in the proceeding, any participant or intervenor in the proceeding, all officers, directors, employees, consultants, and agents of any party, and any attorney of record for any of the foregoing persons.

(h) National Contingency Plan or NCP means the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, developed under section 311(c)(2) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq., as amended, revised periodically pursuant to section 105 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9605,and.

(i) National Panel of Environmental Arbitrators or Panel means a panel of environmental arbitrators selected and maintained by the Association to arbitrate cost recovery claims under this part.

(j) Participating PRP is any potentially responsible party who has agreed, pursuant to § 304.21 of this part, to submit one or more issues arising in an EPA claim for resolution pursuant to the procedures established by this part.

(k) Party means EPA and any person who has agreed, pursuant to § 304.21 of this part, to submit one or more issues arising in an EPA claim for resolution pursuant to the procedures established by this part, and any person who has been granted leave to intervene pursuant to § 304.24(a) of this part.

(l) Persons means an individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium, joint venture, commercial entity, United States Government, State, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a State, or any interstate body.

(m) Potentially responsible party or PRP means any person who may be liable pursuant to section 107(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9607(a), for response costs incurred and to be incurred by the United States not inconsistent with NCP.

(n) Response action means remove, removal, remedy and remedial action, as those terms are defined by section 101 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9601,including.

(o) Response costs means all costs of removal or remedial action incurred and to be incurred by the United States at a facility pursuant to section 104 of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. 9604,including,but,all,planning,administration,enforcement,litigation,interest.