Performing Trade Studies in the CERCLA Environment

摘要

During almost any project, situations willrnarise that require project management and/orrnengineering personnel to make choices regardingrnproject direction or product development. Oftenrnthese choices are simply a part of the normalrnengineering development cycle (e.g., refinementrnor optimization of the product design).rnFrequently, on Comprehensive EnvironmentalrnResponse, Compensation, and Liability Actrn(CERCLA) and other similar projects, tradernstudies are initiated to address concerns or issuesrnraised by stakeholders (e.g., EPA, local and staterngovernments, local tribes, public). WherernCERCLA projects, by definition, deal withrnreleases or threatened releases of hazardousrnsubstances that may endanger public health orrnthe environment, these trade studies mustrnbalance safety, risk and health issues, as well asrncost and engineering viability. How these tradernstudies are carried out and documented/presentedrnto the stakeholders involved can often be therndifference between continued project progressrnand a “stalemate” leaving the project in limbo.rnThis document describes a basic trade studyrnprocess, which has proved successful inrnaddressing stakeholder concerns while at thernsame time balancing the desires of the variousrnparties involved.