Containment Remedies: This 1 hour, 45 minute information session on Containment Remedies provides RPMs with a basic overview of recent research by academia on containment issues and will obtain feedback from the RPMs who are managing containment sites on the issues they are facing and where they would like technical support.

The use of Vertical Engineered Barriers (VEB) to contain wastes has increased since the late 1990s in an effort to reduce the cost of cleanups under the Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) programs. Many environmental professionals consider containment a proven technology that is simple to implement, involves minimal operations and maintenance (O&M), is cost effective, and can be integrated into redevelopment plans. However, it also is widely known that all containment sites leak to some extent and that the lifespan of VEBs is limited. Containment failures have been documented at several sites as a result of inadequate aquitards and construction problems. During this information session, an overview of recent research on VEBs and containment issues is presented, including:

• Life expectancy for VEBs
• Failure mechanisms
• Diffusive transport of contaminants through slurry walls and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
• Integrity of indigenous floors
• Monitoring issues and testing for capture

Presentations will last approximately one hour, leaving the remaining 45 minutes for open discussion with the RPMs on containment remedies to hear their concerns. A new work group was recently formed at EPA to study the technical aspects of containment remedies. One immediate objective of the group is to produce a series of fact sheets on containment issues that are directed toward federal and state RPMs to address technical aspects of containment remedies. Input from the RPMs to the workgroup is welcome.

Developments in Remedial Design: Over the years, the philosophy and approach in remedial designs for hazardous waste cleanups have evolved as a result of lessons learned, budget pressures, and other developments. This 1 hour, 45 minute information session examines case studies to demonstrate project management considerations that should be addressed when planning a design strategy, and identifies design techniques that RPMs can use to improve project delivery. Topics include contracting strategies, confirmatory sampling approaches, risk management, and the use of performance specifications. This information session is intended for RPMs.

Ecological Revitalization: Turning Contaminated Properties into Community Assets- This 1 hour, 45 minute information session provides RPMs and other site managers and stakeholders with the tools to better understand, coordinate, and carry out ecological land revitalization at contaminated properties as part of site cleanup.

• Learn to coordinate and complete ecological land revitalization at contaminated properties during cleanup. You will gain technical information and references for executing ecological revitalization at contaminated properties.
• Build your toolbox. EPA has many resources available to support ecological land reuse. This session helps you with networking, designing, and implementing cleanups to help increase valuable ecosystems that are created through ecological revitalization. You also discover assistance through EPA’s EcoTools service at www.cluin.org/ecotools.
• Discover the environmental, economic, and social benefits provided from ecological reuse of a cleanup site. EPA can clean up contaminated properties while creating green corridors, supporting diverse vegetation, reducing erosion, sequestering carbon, removing stigma associated with prior waste site, and much more.
• Hear about the technical considerations for designing and implementing cleanups that facilitate ecological reuse of streams, wetlands, and terrestrial ecosystems, including long-term stewardship.
• Discover how site managers use ecological land reuse as part of real site cleanup. This session includes presentations from site managers on two sites that implemented ecological revitalization. After this session, you’ll know that there are about 100 contaminated sites where ecological reuse was implemented, and you’ll know who to contact at each site for more information.

The session involves three presenters, followed by audience questions and comments. The target audience for this course is site cleanup managers.

Human Health Risk Assessment Tools and Information for RPMs, focuses on risk assessment tools that RPMs can use to help with a variety of site needs, including establishing preliminary remediation goals, screening out chemicals of potential concern or areas at a site, developing site-specific cleanup levels, and establishing analytical reporting limits. By attending this 1 hour, 30 minute information session, participants will:

• Become familiar with the on-line EPA Regional Screening Levels (RSL): no further action or study at a site is generally warranted when analytical results are below these risk-based concentrations. RSLs are available for more than 600 chemicals and are useful for a variety of site needs. (The RSLs have replaced the Region 3 risk-based concentrations [RBC], the Region 6 screening levels, and the Region 9 preliminary remediation goals [PRG].)
• Understand the basis for the numeric values in the RSLs. (For example, What are Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) values? What is the toxicity hierarchy? How do RSLs and maximum contaminant levels (MCL) differ? How are children's health effects considered?)
• Understand limitations in the RSLs. (Should they be used as cleanup goals? When should they be modified for your site?)
• Hear about other risk assessment tools, such as the radionuclide PRG calculators and the Risk Assessment Information System.
• Learn what's new with TCE, PCE, arsenic, perchlorate, chromium, and other chemicals whose values may change based on new science.
• Receive a brief refresher on key topics in toxicology, such as the causes of cancer, the linear and no-threshold assumptions, and how genomics is changing risk assessment.
• Hear about the next generation of risk assessment methods.
• Have an opportunity to learn how to better respond to that pesky risk assessment question posed at your last public meeting.

Tentative speakers include risk assessors experienced in working with RPMs from Region 4, Headquarters, and EPA National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA). The instructional methodology for this information session includes lecture and discussion. The target audience for this information session is RPMs of all experience levels.

Integrating Water and Waste Programs to Restore Watersheds: EPA’s Office of Water and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response have developed a manual, Integrating Water and Waste Programs to Restore Watersheds: A Guide for Federal and State Project Managers. This information session emphasizes a cross-programmatic approach for streamlining watershed assessments and cleanups. EPA Headquarters believes that watersheds that contain both Superfund sites and Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listed waters would benefit from collaborative efforts by state, federal, and local water programs.

The goals of this information session are to:

• Introduce the manual and its focus on bringing together resources across programs
• Present the benefits of using a cross-programmatic approach to watershed planning
• Educate participants about the existing requirements of other programs
• Encourage program managers to approach hazardous waste problems at a watershed scale
• Provide case studies of existing and proposed watershed cleanup projects that integrate the water and waste programs

Post-Construction Completion Considerations for Fund-lead Sites: This information session addresses key statutory and policy issues RPMs commonly encounter in managing Fund-lead remedies. The session focuses on:

• The timing, expectations, and recommended documentation for making valid Operational and Functional (O&F) determinations
• The distinction between remedies that qualify as Long-Term Response Actions (LTRA) and those that do not. Presenters differentiate ground water restoration remedies from containment remedies, source control actions, and limited remedial actions, and then provide guidance on when each type of remedy will transfer to the state for Operation and Maintenance (O&M)
• Negotiating potential changes to the schedule for state transfer because a new contaminant has been identified, the current remedy has been modified or optimized, or remedy failure

The instructional methodology for this course includes lecture, a case study, and interactive discussion among participants. The target audience for this information session is EPA RPMs who manage Fund-lead projects

Quality Assurance Tools for RPMs is a 1 hour, 45 minute information session divided into two discussions:

1. Site-specific and special request performance evaluation samples (PES)
2. Tools available to ensure EPA's quality goals are being met

Part One: Site-Specific and Special Request PESs: The Shaw Environmental, Inc., Quality Assurance Technical Support (QATS) Laboratory prepares and maintains the Superfund PES inventory for distribution to laboratories to support the EPA's Analytical Services Branch (ASB) Contract Laboratory Program (CLP) and regional projects. PESs are analyzed along with environmental samples and are used to monitor and document the performance of laboratories and analytical methods and to assist in validation of environmental sample analysis results. The QATS standard PES inventory consists of single-blind QC samples for organic and inorganic constituents where the analytes and concentrations are typically in accordance with the CLP methods. These samples are recognizable as PESs; however, the analytes and concentrations are unknown to the laboratories.

Over the past 7 years through the QATS Contract, ASB has provided hundreds of special-request and site-specific PESs to the regions to support monitoring and cleanup efforts at numerous sites. Regional requestors order special-request and site-specific PESs for reasons that include:

• the need for target compounds at defined concentrations or in specific combinations;
• site-specific compounds that are not on the CLP target analyte list or in standard PESs;
• site-specific matrices;
• full-volume or double-blind PESs;
• validation of method or site-specific detection limits;
• the need for laboratory comparisons, or
• verification of project-specific analytical precision and accuracy.

QATS-developed site-specific and special-request PESs have for the past several years been routinely used by EPA Region 9 to support activities at Superfund sites, including Phoenix Goodyear Airport North, McCormick & Baxter, Montrose, Frontier Fertilizer, and Palos Verde Shelf. Special-request and site-specific PESs prepared by the QATS Laboratory have included full-volume and double-blind samples for volatile compounds, semivolatile compounds, pesticides, Aroclors, dioxins/furans, PCB congeners, 1,4-dioxane, metals, mercury, cyanide, and perchlorate. The QATS Laboratory also has provided volatiles in Summa canisters, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fish tissue reference materials for PCBs, pesticides, and methyl mercury, and dioxins/furans in air emissions using XAD-2 resin cartridges.

This presentation discusses the specifics of select projects, including how the PESs were developed, how the results were evaluated, the benefits, and the process for ordering special-request and site-specific PESs for your projects.

Part Two: Tools Available to Ensure EPA's Quality Goals are Being Met: A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) is required for every project conducted by or funded by EPA where data is collected or used. This presentation highlights some of the important tools needed by an RPM to ensure that required QA documents such as QAPPs, Work Plans and Sampling Analysis Plans (SAP) used by EPA meet the Agency's quality goals. A presentation of the P.I.E. (Plan, Implement, Evaluate) tool will also be featured. P.I.E features and describes good practices in QAPP and project preparation. Finally, to further assist the RPM in meeting EPA quality assurance requirements, this talk will briefly overview a QA Tool Kit that includes such topics as the Elements of a Good QAPP, Project Planning Checklist, and a Fact Sheet on Quality Control Tools.

Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) Statement of Work (SOW) Basics: So you have completed your Record of Decision (ROD) and now you are done, right? Wrong! This 1 hour, 30 minute information session focuses on the specific steps necessary for developing a statement of work (SOW) to be included with the RD/RA Consent Decree.

The session discusses how to develop the SOW using the information provided in the ROD using a model developed by EPA Region 5. Next, the session walks through how to prepare the draft SOW for the pre-referral litigation report (the “mini-lit report”) and answer typical questions that may come up while you prepare the mini-lit report.

In addition, the session offers tips on drafting SOW performance standards to avoid future disputes and to ensure that settling defendants implement the remedy in the ROD.

Finally, the session notes areas where the consent decree and SOW overlap and where consistency is particularly important.

The instructional methodology for the course includes lecture and case studies. The target audience for this session is newer RPMs or RPMs who have not yet written an RD/RA SOW.

Response Support Corps — RPMs in Response is a 1 hour, 45 minute information session focusing on the status of EPA’s cadre of Response Support Corps (RSC), trends in membership and training, and the participation of RPMs in national-level exercises during the past year. A panel discussion includes the national RSC program manager, a regional RSC coordinator, and RPM RSC members who participated in TOPOFF 4 and Spills of National Significance (SONS) exercises. Additionally, a trained incident commander discusses the strengths RPMs bring to responses and to the RSC.

Topics covered include:

• RPMs: are you being fully used during major incidents?
• When the siren sounds, who is showing up?
• Lessons learned from a RPM perspective during TOPOFF 4 and SONS.
• View from the top: Incident Commander’s perspective.
• National and regional exercises involving RSC for FY 2008 and 2009.
• Incident Command System training for FY 2008 and beyond.

SERDP/ESTCP Information Session, a 1 hour, 45 minute information session, focuses on how EPA RPMs can obtain funding or information on innovative technologies from both the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) or the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). By attending this session, participants achieve the following objectives:

• Learn and navigate the process for obtaining funding from SERDP or ESTCP. The session guides participants through the solicitation process for both programs and provide examples of projects led or supported by EPA personnel.
• Learn about tools and technologies that are available now for management and remediation of contaminated sites. Participants are provided with many of the tools and manuals that are available.
• Learn about tools and technologies that are under development for contaminated site management and remediation, to be available within the next 1 to 2 years.
• Provide input to the research and development funding process on technology needs for your sites.

Superfund Green Remediation Strategy: A workgroup made up of Headquarters and regional staff was formed in September 2008 to outline the Superfund program’s plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other negative impacts on the environment that might occur during remediation of a hazardous waste site. During this information session, workgroup chairs will outline 12 key action item areas to promote green remediation and reduce the environmental “footprint” during cleanup of private and federal sites, while protecting human health and the environment.

This 1 hour, 45 minute information session is an opportunity to learn about the strategy, get answers questions you might have, including implementation challenges, and raise points you believe need to be addressed. The target audience for this information session is all RPMs.

Technical Services for Communities and the Superfund Job Training Initiative: Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) is a new program to provide independent, non-advocacy educational and technical assistance to communities affected by hazardous waste sites regulated by CERCLA and RCRA. The purpose of TASC is to help communities better understand hazardous waste issues, so they can participate in the hazardous waste cleanup process more effectively. TASC also can be used to provide training through the Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI) and for technical assistance under a Technical Assistance Plan (TAP). TASC provides technical assistance through a national contract managed by the EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI). The TASC contract is designed to be flexible to ensure that the unique technical assistance and training needs of communities can be met. All EPA Headquarters and regional office hazardous waste programs, with the exception of Brownfields, can access it.

EPA instituted SuperJTI in 1996 to provide potential employers with a source of trained workers ready for on-site employment in technical, construction, and environmental activities at Superfund sites. SuperJTI’s mission is to provide job training opportunities in communities affected by Superfund sites and encourage their employment in site cleanup. The SuperJTI program combines extensive classroom instruction in hazardous environmental cleanup, health and safety, and job preparedness training, along with hands-on work experience.

Partnerships are critical to the success of SuperJTI. The partnerships necessary to make the SuperJTI successful are EPA regional staff (Community Involvement Coordinators [CIC] and RPMs), and a community-based organization, and the Superfund cleanup contractor. RPMs play a major role in the success of SuperJTI by approaching the cleanup contractors and encouraging them to hire graduates of the SuperJTI program.

Participants in this 1 hour, 45 minute information session acquire a greater understanding of TASC and SuperJTI and the benefits to the community, the cleanup contractor, and the agency. Topics include identifying communities that can benefit from job training, building a relationship with a local non-profit organization, and obtaining sustainable employment for community residents. The session also highlights a SuperJTI project that is currently in progress at the Savannah River Site. The goal of this session is to solicit RPM’s assistance in identifying two communities where residents are interested in obtaining job training and sustainable employment.

The Environmental Response Team Capabilities for RPMs: This 1 hour, 30 minute information session informs RPMs about the personnel, tools, and technologies the Environmental Response Team (ERT) uses at remedial Superfund sites to support investigation and cleanup. A goal of the session is to encourage RPMs to use ERT to assist them during the various investigation and cleanup phases at sites.

By attending this session, the participants learn about the following ERT technical capabilities:

• Personnel available such as, chemists, scientists, engineers, risk assessors, health and safety staff, and more.
• Type of work being performed, including vapor intrusion investigations, ground water modeling, and activity-based sampling.
• Various technologies, including equipment, tools, and instruments, that are available to accomplish the goals of the investigative and cleanup.

The session also provides information on how to contact ERT to receive technical support for sites, and how ERT actually works with EPA RPMs to assess sites.

The instructional method includes both lecture and presentation of current case studies where ERT personnel are working directly with RPMs on various site investigations. The target audience is all EPA RPMs.

Virtual Connection: Tools and Strategies for EPA Employees, is a 1 hour, 45 minute information session, designed for beginner to intermediate users of online collaboration tools.

EPA employees are increasingly challenged to work collaboratively with teams whose members may be physically located across the country. These teams have a continual need to exchange and share information quickly on a limited budget. With emerging technology, EPA is better equipped with instruments and methods to overcome the problems presented by greater distance, little time, and limited funds. These electronic tools are collectively referred to by many names: "teamware," "groupware," and "distance collaboration tools" are just a few. As the latter name suggests, they are designed to help groups work together virtually from multiple locations as if members were in the same physical space. Examples of such distance collaboration tools include packages to host internet meetings (also known as Web conferences or "webinars") and Web-based file storage used in conjunction with Web sites or online work areas focused specifically around a defined team or project. Often, EPA employees do not realize that these tools are available for use now at no cost, and in most cases, can be used to collaborate with groups both internal and external to EPA.

The Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI) will describe several collaboration tools and services available to EPA employees including: Oracle Web Conferencing, Sametime, Sametime Connect, Lotus Notes 8, AIM, Oracle Messenger, Environmental Science Connector, Collaborative Workspaces and Quickr.

Attendees will receive a basic introduction to these services to understand their general functions, as well as learn how to access these tools.

Beneficial Use of Mining and Mineral Processing Waste is a 1 hour, 45 minute panel session that explores questions about the beneficial use of mining and mineral processing waste. These materials are the result of the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals, and are excluded from regulation as hazardous waste. With 1.3 billion tons generated annually, these high-volume, low-toxicity materials can release hazardous constituents that pose a threat to human health and the environment, as is evidenced by the number of CERCLA sites associated with these materials.

EPA is working with states and mining and mineral processing industries to evaluate and encourage the productive and beneficial use of these materials in lieu of commercially available materials. Potential markets for these materials include road construction, concrete production, and levee development. The projected environmental, societal, and economical benefits associated with use of these materials could be considerable. An appropriate level of assurance in the environmental performance and system design, however, is crucial for the proposed use of these materials to be successful. Therefore, a range of challenges need to be explored before these materials can be used, including testing, liability, and use restrictions. The panel discussion will explore key questions such as:

• Are there existing guidelines under state beneficial use programs?
• Should testing requirements be established?
• What level of assurance will owners, managers and users request in terms of CERCLA liability?

Because of the multitude of issues associated with beneficial use of these materials, this is a session intended to be a multi-year panel discussion; this topic was introduced during NARPM 2008. A national workgroup has since been convened to develop a strategy for this effort, similar to the lead strategy. This panel discussion will serve as a vehicle to identify additional staff who are interested in this topic and may want to become members of the national workgroup.

Federal Facilities, a 1 hour, 45 minute panel session, will provide an update on current initiatives and national issues that affect federal facility sites. The session will be divided into three parts:

• The first part will feature John Reeder, Director, of the Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office, who will present and answer questions on key national issues (including the Department of Energy; impacts of the stimulus package on the budget; federal facility agreements [FFAs]; institutional controls; and other issues).
• The second part will feature Dave Kling, Director, Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO), and Stuart Hunt, FFEO Attorney-Advisor, who will discuss federal facility enforcement issues, including stipulated penalties under FFAs.
• The last part of the session is reserved for an open question and answer period from session attendees about issues and concerns that they are experiencing.

The target audience for this panel session is RPMs working on federal facilities.

Five-Year Review Best Management Practices is a 1 hour, 45 minute panel discussion that focuses on five-year review documentation consistency and improving the five-year process in the regions. By attending the panel discussion, participants will learn:

• How Headquarters reviews and provides comments on five-year review documents.
• Common inconsistencies found by Headquarters.
• Supplements to the five-year review guidance under development.
• Regional best management practices for the five-year review process.
• How to assemble a technical review team to ensure a complete and timely five-year review product.

Panel members will share Headquarters’ findings from document reviews and regional experiences and best practices for improving the five-year review process. The target audience for this panel discussion is all RPMs.

Institutional Controls: Current Issues is a 1 hour, 30 minute panel discussion led by NARPM members who serve on the national Institutional Controls (IC) Workgroup, along with IC experts from around the country. The purpose of the panel is to present information on new developments on the topic of ICs.

ICs are non-engineered components of a remedy. Examples of ICs include easements, local city ordinances, restrictions on ground water use, base-use plans, and fishing bans. The use of ICs is often a key component of Superfund remedies. An IC is required to ensure that restricted uses do not occur if a site is not cleaned up to unrestricted use levels. The national IC Workgroup meets monthly to track IC-related issues, share information, and identify solutions to the often vexing IC issues faced by Superfund site managers.

The panel will answer the following questions related to ICs:

• What is required by the IC plan described in the updated model Remedial Design/Remedial Action (RD/RA) Consent Decree?
• What is required in an IC evaluation to demonstrate that an IC is in place and effective for a Site Wide Ready for Anticipated Use (SWRAU) measure?
• What is the streamlined explanation of significant differences (ESD) under development to document ICs in a remedy decision?
• What mapping tools are available, including geographic information systems (GIS), to develop the physical description of the areas subject to ICs?
• What are the latest updates on the Institutional Controls Tracking System (ICTS) and what information can we learn from ICTS?

Participants are also invited to come to the panel session, present IC issues, and receive expert advice and valuable feedback. The target audience for this panel session is all RPMs.

Lost in Transition: Managing Superfund Site Transitions and Preventing the Loss of Institutional Memory is a 1 hour, 30 minute panel session that is designed to highlight some of the major issues that confront RPMs not only when they receive a “new” Superfund site to manage but also when they transfer the management of a site to another RPM. Our goal is to provide RPMs with assistance on improving this site transition process, especially with respect to the following:

• Records management (hard-copy, working files, administrative records, site files, and archived records)
• Electronic records, including CDs, hard drives, databases (for example, CERCLIS)
• Web sites (both internal and external)
• E-mail records

The panelists will conduct a round table discussion among the participants to solicit input on how site transitions are handled throughout the various regions. Through this discussion, the panelists will focus on developing concrete ways to improve the site transition process so that no institutional knowledge is lost, especially for complex Superfund sites. The old notion — that an RPM can simply hand over several cardboard boxes of files to a new RPM and be done with the transfer of the relevant data and records — is outdated and inefficient. However, we at EPA are all too familiar with that situation.

Join our thought-provoking dialogue and help create a system, even if it’s a simple, informal guidance document, to ensure better and more efficient site transitions and to preserve complete site records. The target audience for this panel session is all RPMs.

OSC/RPM Interactions Synergy, a 1 hour, 30 minute panel session, explores the dynamics of interactions between On-Scene Coordinators (OSC) and RPMs in addressing complex situations at Superfund sites. Superfund sites require a mix of strategies from a variety of trained EPA staff, and a key interaction on sites that require both removal and remedial actions is between the OSC and RPM.

Learn more about the Emergency Response Program, the tools used by OSCs, and how RPMs can maximize opportunities to get the job done right.

This panel explores the interaction between OSCs and RPMs through brief presentations and discussions of site experiences by a panel of both OSCs and RPMs. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and share their experiences for all to learn. The target audience for this panel session is all RPMs.

Post-ROD World Café, a 1 hour, 30 minute panel session, focuses on the community involvement challenges that occur after the major remedial decisions are made and many times after construction is complete. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to:

• Practice a community involvement technique for involving stakeholders in a planning process. The technique is an effective tool for opening up discussion on topics, helping to find common themes, and then to problem-solve around these themes. It is known as a good technique to use to solicit responses to questions in a short amount of time — exactly the need involved in post-ROD community involvement issues.
• Have focused discussions with their colleagues about first-hand experience in the field with post-ROD and construction issues that have affected the communities where they work.
• Examine questions about the challenges and solutions to effectively implementing post-ROD community involvement for increased public awareness, durable decisions, and protective environmental results.
• Explore the challenges in continuing to work with the ideas generated at this workshop. Ongoing work may be used to help formulate a national strategy that provides a consistent approach while preserving site-specific flexibility in addressing diverse issues that arise at this late stage in the Superfund process.

The instructional methodology for this session is participatory and fast-paced, involving brainstorming and discussion by participants. The target audience for this course is RPMs, Community Involvement Coordinators (CIC), and managers who interact with community members at Superfund sites. The workshop will be limited to 20 to 25 participants to be effective within this timeframe.

RPMs and the Future of Superfund Information Technology is a 1 hour, 45 minute panel session that will present a series of overview presentations on key topics that involve the ongoing Superfund information management process and how it relates to these issues nationwide. The panelists will provide the following:

1. A presentation on the progress being made by Superfund Information Management Workgroup (SIMWG) with an overview of next steps. During the presentation, the focus will be on how to make existing data and information gathering more relevant to the RPM.
2. A summary of the Information Management Coordinators (IMCs) and Budget Coordinator April meeting. The results of the Joint Application Design (JAD) scoping session will provide direction on how to ensure that the program management part of the Superfund process is made smoother and more user-friendly to the RPM.
3. An introductory session on the RPM’s role in the SIMWG process and how it will be incorporated into the RPM’s overall responsibilities. This discussion will identify (a) where RPMs fit into the information management process, and (b) at what stage will RPM input be most useful.
4. A presentation on a regional perspective of IMC and RPM coordination.
5. A discussion of next steps in securing RPM involvement in the information and data management workgroup to effect usability and understanding.
6. Finally, a roundtable discussion will follow to encourage ideas for improvement.

The goal is to streamline the Superfund data entry and information gathering process by minimizing time in the system, by making the system more accessible and understandable to RPMs, and by ensuring the data and information entered are accurate and not duplicated.

This panel is intended to be a work in progress and will continue its mission to make management of Superfund information a more viable tool for RPMs to monitor regional Superfund site data and documents in conjunction with EPA Headquarters reporting requirements.

The target audience for this panel session includes RPMs and their managers.

Working Together: Getting the Best Results Through Partnerships (Everybody Wins!): Partnerships, synergy … as corny as it sounds, we really can accomplish more if we work together. Many valuable resources are available outside of EPA, but we need to learn to look beyond our usual set of tools and take advantage of the knowledge and expertise that can be found in communities and universities. This 1 hour, 30 minute panel session will be an interactive forum, providing two case studies of successful partnerships, and discussions of how to locate the right experts. The session will consist of three sections:

• Todd Davis, RPM in Region 7, will discuss his experiences as a State Project Manager at the Omaha Lead Site where he has worked with community organizations, two local Universities, and various City Departments. These collaborations helped ensure that the project remained on track. Todd is a strong believer in using inter-Agency agreements to achieve goals at a site. He will discuss how relationships were established and the value they brought to the site work.
• Lindell Ormsbee, investigator with University of Kentucky Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP), will present his perspective on partnering with EPA, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), state offices, and community at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant NPL site. He will discuss how his partnerships with these different entities evolved, how he has been able to introduce innovative technologies at the site, and how each party benefited from the interactions.
• A panel will explore what resources are available from academia – particularly from the SBRP-supported scientists – as well as communities and state/local agencies. The panel will include Beth Anderson, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) SBRP Program Analyst, Felicia Barnett, EPA Region 4 Superfund and Technology Liaison, and the session speakers. We will consider EPA RPM technical and communication needs, and the best strategies to identify experts who are willing and able to collaborate.
• The target audience for this panel session is all RPMs.