Background
The West Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) was established in 1996 through the Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act (W. Va. Code § 22-22), to encourage voluntary cleanup and redevelopment of abandoned or under-utilized contaminated properties by providing certain environmental liability protections under West Virginia law.
The Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Rule (W. Va. Legislative Rule 60CSR3) describes the administrative process for this program. The VRP is a structured and predictable—yet flexible—mechanism to achieve compliance with applicable state and federal environmental requirements.
The Office of Environmental Remediation administers the VRP.
Licensed Remediation Specialists (LRS), licensed by WVDEP and hired by program applicants, supervise all remediation activities and prepare required reports for OER’s approval.
Overview
The Voluntary Remediation Program encourages companies, communities, and other stakeholders to voluntarily remediate sites and return them to productive use so that undeveloped land remains pristine. Parties that remediate sites through the VRP use risk-based cleanup standards that consider site-specific conditions and future land use.
The Voluntary Remediation Program identifies and addresses potential contamination at sites using a series of steps, including:
- Completing an environmental site assessment
- Performing a risk assessment
- Selecting and implementing a remedy
- Conducting long-term oversight, as necessary
Decisions on how to remedy a site in the Voluntary Remediation Program are made based on risks the site may pose to human health and the environment. Established cleanup standards are used to decide if a site represents an unacceptable risk. Remedies such as removal, treatment, and control of the contamination are used, alone or in combination, to address these risks.
The VRP is protective of communities and the environment, while promoting economic development in West Virginia.