Risk-based corrective action could save billions in LUST cleanup costs

Risk-based corrective action (RBCA) is a standardized approach to designing remediation strategies for contaminated sites. It was developed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM; West Conshohocken, PA) to help prioritize sites according to the urgency and type of corrective action needed to protect human health and the environment. The approach has gained widespread acceptance from the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators. RBCA is designed to reduce misallocation of resources and imposition of unreasonable generic remedies at sites posing little threat to human health or ecological resources. Cleanup goals under RBCA are based on risk reduction--minimizing actual and potential health and environmental threats--rather than on generic concentrations of contaminants. The most widespread application of RBCA has been at leaking underground storage tank (LUST) sites.