In November 2011, Region 9 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued updated Regional Screening Levels (“RSL”) (or Preliminary Remediation Goals) to harmonize with similar risk-based screening levels used by Regions 3 and 6. The new RSLs are set forth in a single table: “Regional Screening Levels (RSL) for Chemical Contaminants at Superfund Sites.”
RSLs are an important tool to utilize in requesting and obtaining closure of environmentally impacted sites from regulatory agencies; however, they are but one standard. Depending upon the site, a practitioner must be aware of the relevant and applicable Federal, State, and local standards for soil, soil vapor, groundwater, water, and air.