INEEL ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION PROGRAM
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD/INFORMATION REPOSITORY
D. L. Ellis
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company
P. O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3922
(208) 526-2077
ABSTRACT
The Administrative Record is a contemporaneous compilation of documents leading to a Record of Decision that includes:
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requires that all documents within the Administrative Record be made available to the public. These CERCLA requirements are instituted for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) through a tri-party agreement among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the State of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW), and the U.S. Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID). This tri-party agreement is referred to as the Federal Facilities Agreement and Consent Order.
Information from the various stages of cleanup under CERCLA are stored on an Optical Imaging System. The optical imaging capability allows for on-line storage and retrieval of all incoming and outgoing documents related to various environmental management projects. This provides an electronic image, reflecting actual signatures, photos, and other document contents not able to be electronically stored through conventional computer mechanisms. The existing application does not have a capability to be viewed using World Wide Web (WWW) technology, but an automated process has been established to copy relevant data from the indexing database to an Oracle server. This internal server converts and copies images to an external server, which then converts the images to a format that can be displayed by WWW browsers.
ABOUT THE SYSTEM
The Information Repository and Administrative Record collections provide public access to information concerning DOE's Remediation Program at the INEEL. This information may be found in hard copy version at various repositories, and also electronically, on the Internet (http://ar.inel.gov/home.html).
The Information Repository contains background information and current studies involving the INEEL and general cleanup activities, technical studies, post-Record of Decision documents, including Remedial Design and Remedial Action documents, and other information on the INEEL that may be of interest to the public.
The Administrative Record is the collection of documents used by DOE, EPA, and IDHW to form the basis of their cleanup decisions. The purpose of the Administrative Record is to provide information on the project being investigated and to maintain the collection of documents required by law if a cleanup action decision is challenged. In addition, the Administrative Record limits the judicial review of the adequacy of a response action. It acts as a vehicle for public participation in selecting a response action because the Administrative Record must be made available for public inspection and comment during the appropriate comment periods.
How the System is Organized
Potential and confirmed waste release sites addressed by the INEEL Remediation Program are divided into specific units for operation and management purposes. These units are called waste area groups (WAGs). There are 10 WAGs at the INEEL. Each WAG is further broken down into operable units (OUs), which are groupings of potential or confirmed release sites used to identify similar contamination problems. The number of OUs differs from one WAG to another.
When referring to an OU, the WAG number is given first, followed by a hyphen and a two-digit number assigned to the specific OU within the WAG. For example, if you are looking for information on Pit 9 (OU 10 of WAG 7), look for binder number 7-10 in the hard copy or OU 7-10 in the computer system.
The organization of the system will allow the user to access information in the following ways:
When accessing the Administrative Record using the hard copy, the binders are organized with an Index that describes each document included in the Administrative Record, followed by a copy of the documents.
When accessing the Administrative Record using the computer, begin by selecting one of the following categories:
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List documents created in the last 90 days |
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Select month and year criteria for date range |
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Select from list of Authors to find match from all documents |
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Select from list of Key Words to find match from all documents |
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Select from list of WAGs to find match from all documents |
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Select from list of OUs to find match from all documents |
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Select from list of File Categories to find match from all documents |
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Restrict search to be within documents with OU=1/GEN, 2/GEN, etc. Additional criteria will need to be specified. |
Details on Sorting Options
Once a sorting option is selected, information is accessed as follows - with the most recently created document titles appearing first; you must select a document title to view the document:
Sort Current Documents
All documents created in the last 90 days will be displayed. You may then choose to display documents created 90 days prior.
Sort Documents by Date Range
A month and year must be selected to view documents, and documents will be displayed in descending chronological order, 100 at a time.
Select an Individual Author
A listing of authors will be provided. Select the author whose documents you would like to view; documents will then be listed.
Select an Individual Title/Key Word
A listing of Titles/Key Words will be provided. The user may choose either a word or a phrase from the list provided; a list of documents will then be displayed with the selected word or phrase in the document title.
Select a Waste Area Group (WAG)
A listing of WAG titles and descriptions is displayed. You may choose the WAG documents you wish to see; they will then be displayed in descending chronological order.
Select an Operable Unit (OU)
A listing of OU titles and descriptions, including site codes, is provided. The user may select an OU to view document titles; the titles will be displayed in descending chronological order.
Select File Category
This sorting option lists the index of the Administrative Record by File Category, allowing you to select the type of documents you wish to view, i.e., Proposed Plans, Remedial Investigations, Remedial Designs, etc. Once the document category is selected, documents falling within the category will be listed with the most recent publication appearing first.
Search General INEEL Documents
This sorting option allows you to search for documents that are not WAG- or OU-specific. When selecting this option, you will be provided with a screen that narrows your search to Author, Title/Key Word, File Category, and General INEEL Documents, Sorted by Date. Each selection has a limited choice of options for further viewing.
CONCLUSION
A cost-benefit analysis was performed, based on a comparison between maintaining paper copies versus electronic versions at the remote locations throughout the State of Idaho. Disadvantages of maintaining paper copies helped to justify the decision to convert to electronic applications. These disadvantages included: a) paper copies are difficult to maintain at remote locations; b) librarians are reluctant to file updates to the Administrative Record; c) paper copies are easily removed by the public; and d) frequent travel is required to audit and update the Administrative Record.
In conclusion, information availability, system maintenance, cost benefit, and reliability have proven the benefits of providing the public with an electronic forum, in addition to select hard copy locations, for accessing the Administrative Record and Information Repository. This application, established at the INEEL, proves to be a cost-effective way of supporting the public’s right to know, as required by CERCLA.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the following people: R. G. Barnette, B. S. Montierth, J. Moore, A. Rohm, D. L. Simmons, J. C. Stewart.