Tribal Natural Resource Damages, Assessment And .

Tribal Natural Resource Damages,Assessment and RestorationConferenceStratus ConsultingKaylene Ritter, PhDJuly 20, 2011STRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

NRDA Overview and DefinitionsSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

NRDA – Overview Purpose: Make the public whole for injuries tonatural resources that result from the releaseof hazardous substances or oil The public is made whole through“restoration” (damages recovered must beused for restoration)STRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA – Overview (cont.) Includes compensation for harms that mayaccrue over time: past, present, future NRDA restoration complements, but isdistinct from, response “cleanup” actionsSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA – Definitions Damages: Amount of money sought by a trusteeas compensation for injured natural resourcesand service losses (must be used for restoration) Injury: Measurable adverse change in qualityor viability of a natural resource resulting fromexposure to a release of a hazardoussubstance or discharge of oilSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA – Definitions (cont.) Services: Physical, biological, human andcultural functions performed by the naturalresource Examples of physical and biological services: Habitat Foraging FoodSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA – Definitions (cont.) Examples of cultural services from naturalresources:– Direct use of the resources Food, crafts, commerce– Transmission of language skills to youth– Ceremonial– Historic meeting sites Societal interchangeSTRATUS CONSULTING

Service LossSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Service LossReleaseNo Action — Natural RecoveryTimeSTRATUS CONSULTING

Service Loss (cont.)ReleaseNo Action — Natural RecoveryTimeSTRATUS CONSULTING

Service Loss (cont.)NRDA Restoration (Primary)InterimLossNo Action — Natural RecoveryTimeSTRATUS CONSULTING

Service Loss (cont.)NRDA RestorationInterim Loss if no primary restorationNo Action — Natural RecoveryTimeSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA and RI/FSSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Fundamentally Different Processeswith Different Objectives RI/FS: Inform response/remedial actions– Goal manage risks to human health andthe environment NRDA: Process of determining the effects ofreleases of chemicals/oil on natural resources– Goal make the public whole for injuriesto natural resources through restorationSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA vs. RI/FS Temporal focus– RI/FS: current and future residualconditions– NRDA: past/present/futureSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA vs. RI/FS Spatial focus– RI/FS: where hazardous substances havecome to be located. Actions focused onsite (source/risk reduction)– NRDA: where exposure/injury/servicelosses may have occurred. Restorationalternative evaluation can be broader,including off-siteSTRATUS CONSULTING

Key Questions for TrusteesSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Key Questions for NRDA Trustees What can be done to restore resources andservices to baseline?– Taking into account remedial actions If resources and services cannot be restoredto baseline, what is appropriatecompensation? What additional restoration is necessary toaddress past losses?STRATUS CONSULTING

Key Questions Specific to TribalTrustees Are there specific tribal uses and losses thatcan be addressed through restorationprojects?– Cultural / ceremonial– Recreational– Subsistence– Commercial How can restoration projects be designed tospecifically provide those uses and benefits?STRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA ProcessSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Administrative Process (DOI) Preassessment Screen Assessment Plan Assessment Phase– Injury determination– Injury quantification– Damage determination– Restoration planning– Restoration and Compensation Determination Plan(RCDP) Report of Assessment Post Assessment Phase– Restoration Plan– Implementation of restorationSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury DeterminationSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Injury Determination Determine:– Source(s) and release(s) of hazardoussubstance(s)– Environmental exposure (direct/indirect)via pathways– Injuries to trust natural resourcesSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Sources andReleases Characterize hazardous substance releases– Which hazardous substance(s)?– Timing/frequency/duration?– Location?– Quantity?– Responsible party?STRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: PathwaySources of Hazardous SubstancesGroundwaterSediment(bed, bank, and floodplain)Surface WaterBenthicMacroinvertebratesInjured FishSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Examples Surface water and groundwater– Contaminant concentrations that exceedregulatory limits– Conditions sufficient to adversely affect Biological resources Human/cultural usesSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Examples (cont.) Soils (“geologic resources”)– Chemical concentrations toxic tomicroorganisms, invertebrates, plants,wildlife– Reduced water-holding capacity, nutrientcyclingSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Examples (cont.) Vegetation– Reduced cover,diversity, health, vigor,reproductive capacity,stabilitySTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Examples (cont.) Habitats– Alterations in habitat structure, resistance,resilience, stabilitySTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Examples (cont.) ndocrine ochemicalchangesSTRATUS CONSULTINGGenetic effectsDisease

Injury QuantificationSTRATUS CONSULTINGSTRATUSCONSULTING

Injury Quantification Quantify changes relative to baseline– Extent or degree of injury– Percent occurrence in individual,population, community– Magnitude of effects Temporal extent Spatial extentSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Quantification Example:GroundwaterSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Quantification Example:Groundwater (cont.)STRATUS CONSULTING

Tribal NRDA Claims Tribal claims likely to include lost cultural useof natural resources that are above andbeyond ecological impactsSTRATUS CONSULTING

Tribal NRDA Claims (cont.) Injury quantification can be difficult, culturaluse of natural resources is not commonlymeasured– Cultural uses typically not formally tracked– Information may be sensitive E.g., use and location of importantspeciesSTRATUS CONSULTING

Tribal NRDA Claims (cont.) Focus on restoration projects with tribal usebenefits that can address the losses thathave occurred– Cultural / ceremonial– Recreational– Subsistence– CommercialSTRATUS CONSULTING

SummaryReleasePathwayRestorationPrimary and CompensatorySTRATUS CONSULTINGInjuryServiceLossDamages

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Extra SlidesSTRATUS CONSULTING

NRDA vs. RI/FS (cont.) Characterization– RI/FS: characterizesources/pathways/risks at level of detailnecessary to select appropriate remedialalternatives– NRDA: characterizeexposure/injury/service loss at level ofdetail necessary to determine and quantifylossesSTRATUS CONSULTING

Injury Determination: Pathway Sampling approach– Use environmental data to demonstratepresence of hazardous substances inpathway components Modeling approach– Use model to demonstrate environmentalmobility/transformationSTRATUS CONSULTING

Tribal Natural Resource Damages, Assessment and Restoration Conference Stratus Consulting Kaylene Ritter, PhD July 20, 2011. STRATUSSTRATUS CONSULTINGCONSULTING . – Restoration planning – Restoration and Compensation Determination Plan (RCDP) Report of Assessment Post Assessment Phase – Restoration Plan