(a) Purpose. The Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP) rules (30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 350) and the preamble to those rules (24 TexReg 7436) reference certain interactions between the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) and the natural resource trustees (Trustees) in regard to an ecological risk assessment and an ecological services analysis. The purpose of this memorandum of understanding (MOU) is to facilitate these interactions between the TNRCC and the Trustees in both these processes. In addition, the parties recognize the following as pertinent to the development of this MOU.      
        (1) The TNRCC is the agency of the State of Texas given the primary responsibility for implementing the constitution and laws of the state relating to the conservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment.       
        (2) As public trustees for natural resources, the Trustees have statutory authority to pursue claims for injury to, destruction of, or loss of natural resources as a result of a release of a hazardous substance or a discharge of oil, seek restoration or replacement of such natural resources, and pursue recovery of reasonable assessment costs.       
        (3) Due to some dependent and even overlapping responsibilities, it is beneficial for the TNRCC and the Trustees to coordinate on the performance of certain tasks concerning the ecological risk assessment and ecological services analysis.       
        (4) Integration of natural resource damages considerations into risk reduction decisions may efficiently and cost effectively resolve certain natural resource damages liability and alleviate the need for further investigations or legal proceedings.       
      (b) Parties. The parties to this MOU are as follows:      
        (1) TNRCC, both as administrator of TRRP and a natural resource trustee;       
        (2) Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, solely as a natural resource trustee;       
        (3) Texas General Land Office, solely as a natural resource trustee;       
        (4) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce, solely as a natural resource trustee; and       
        (5) United States Department of the Interior, solely as a natural resource trustee.       
      (c) Authorities.      
        (1) The Trustees enter into this MOU in accordance with the legal authorities provided to each Trustee by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 United States Code (USC) §§9601 et seq.; the Clean Water Act (CWA), 33 USC §§1251 et seq.; the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), 33 USC §§2701 et seq.; the National Contingency Plan, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 300; the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Regulations, 43 CFR Part 11; and 15 CFR Part 990; and any other applicable laws or authorities.       
        (2) The State of Texas Trustees also enter into this MOU in accordance with the legal authorities provided by the Texas Natural Resources Code, Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991, §40.107; the Texas Natural Resource Damage Assessment Regulations, 31 TAC Chapter 20; and any other applicable laws or authorities.       
        (3) The TNRCC additionally enters into this MOU in accordance with the legal authority provided to it by the Texas Water Code, §5.104 and Texas Health and Safety Code, §361.016.       
      (d) Acronyms.      
        (1) COCs--chemicals of concern;       
        (2) CFR--Code of Federal Regulations;       
        (3) CERCLA--Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act;       
        (4) CWA--Clean Water Act;       
        (5) LOAEL--lowest observed adverse effect level;       
        (6) MOA--memorandum of agreement;       
        (7) MOU--memorandum of understanding;       
        (8) NOAEL--no observed adverse effect level;       
        (9) OPA--Oil Pollution Act of 1990;       
        (10) PCLs--protective concentration levels;       
        (11) TAC--Texas Administrative Code;       
        (12) TNRCC--Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission;       
        (13) TRRP--Texas Risk Reduction Program;       
        (14) TNRCC PM--Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission Remedial/Corrective Actions Project Manager; and       
        (15) TTT--Trustee technical team.       
      (e) Definitions. Any words not specifically defined herein which are defined in 30 TAC §350.4, shall have the same meaning as defined in that section.      
        (1) Person--An individual, corporation, organization, government, or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, partnership, association, or any other legal entity utilizing the TRRP rules or any other equivalent TNRCC rules.       
        (2) Paragraph 7--30 TAC §350.77(c)(7) corresponds to a point in the Tier 2 screening-level ecological risk assessment where the initial risk estimate is refined based on the use of less conservative exposure assumptions. Paragraph 7 is a requirement that the person must perform as part of the Tier 2 screening-level ecological risk assessment if the assessment progresses past 30 TAC §350.77(c)(6). Paragraph 7 reads as follows: (The person shall:) "...justify the use of less conservative assumptions to adjust the exposure and repeat the hazard quotient exercise in paragraph (6) of this subsection, once again eliminating COCs that pose no unacceptable risk and adding comparisons to the LOAELs for those COCs indicating a potential risk (i.e., NOAEL hazard quotient >1); however, when multiple members of a class of COCs are present which exert additive effects, it is also appropriate to utilize an ecological hazard index methodology (if all COCs are eliminated at this point, the ecological risk assessment process ends and the items listed in paragraphs (8) - (9) of this subsection are not required);" Any reference in this MOU to Paragraph 7 shall not only include the current 30 TAC §350.77(c)(7) but also the point at which the equivalent actions occur under other TNRCC risk reduction rules in the event that TRRP is amended or replaced and the specific reference is revised.       
        (3) Trustees--The federal agencies as designated by the President of the United States and the state agencies as designated by the Governor of the State of Texas pursuant to the OPA and CERCLA to act on behalf of the public as trustees of natural resources (e.g., water, air, land, wildlife).       
        (4) Parties--The signatories to this MOU as specified in subsection (b) of this MOU.       
      (f) Trustee contacts. The TNRCC Natural Resource Trustee Program (TNRCC Trustee) shall designate a primary TNRCC Trustee contact in writing to the other Trustees no later than ten calendar days after the effective date of this MOU. The TNRCC shall designate a secondary TNRCC Trustee contact in the initial notifications of both an ecological risk assessment and an ecological services analysis. Each of the other Trustees shall designate a primary and a secondary contact in writing to the other Trustees no later than ten calendar days after the effective date of this MOU. Initial notifications and all subsequent electronic mail correspondence shall be sent to both the primary and secondary contacts for each Trustee. The TNRCC Trustee shall send copies of pertinent documents to the primary contacts by regular mail (unless an alternate contact or method is identified in advance). A Trustee may change its primary or secondary contact by providing the other Trustees not less than ten calendar days written notice of such change.     
      (g) Ecological risk assessment process. The preamble to TRRP rules (24 TexReg 7455) states that the Trustees may choose to participate in the ecological risk assessment process to ensure that natural resources under their jurisdiction are adequately protected. The preamble also states that the TNRCC will notify the Trustees of affected property with chemicals of concern (COCs) which remain after a particular stage of development within the Tier 2 screening-level ecological risk assessment. The purpose of an ecological risk assessment is to characterize the ecological setting of the affected property, identify complete or reasonably anticipated to be completed exposure pathways and representative ecological receptors, scientifically eliminate COCs that pose no unacceptable risk, and develop protective concentration levels (PCLs) for selected ecological receptors where warranted. The parties agree that an ecological risk assessment should be conducted in a manner that is designed to result in the protection of ecological receptors that may be subject to management by federal and state agencies. Furthermore, the Trustees acknowledge that the potential for continuing injury to ecological resources should be negligible at sites where the remedial decisions were based on appropriate application of the proposed ecological risk assessment process.      
        (1) Initial notification. After the TNRCC learns through a person's submittal that the ecological risk assessment at an affected property has progressed to Paragraph 7 and prior to approval of the ecological risk assessment by the TNRCC, the TNRCC Trustee shall provide timely notification to the other Trustees. The parties agree that further evaluation of ecological risk at an affected property is not warranted for purposes of making response or corrective action decisions under the TRRP rules when: 1) an appropriately applied ecological risk assessment is conducted consistent with the most recent TNRCC guidance on the subject at the time the ecological risk assessment is performed; and 2) the affected property does not progress to Paragraph 7.                  (A) Method of initial notification. Notification by the TNRCC Trustee shall be provided via electronic mail, or via another mutually agreed upon method, to the primary and secondary contacts for each Trustee.                   (B) Content of initial notification. The initial notification shall include the affected property name, location, status of the ecological risk assessment, and to the extent practical, the type of habitat, receptors at risk, COCs, and other relevant information necessary to allow the Trustees to evaluate their level of interest in the affected property. The TNRCC secondary contact, the TNRCC ecological risk assessor, and the deadline constraints of the TNRCC remedial/corrective actions project manager (TNRCC PM) shall also be provided in the initial notification.                   (C) Trustee response to initial notification. A written response (electronic mail is acceptable) from each Trustee to the initial notification must be provided to both the primary and secondary TNRCC Trustee contacts within five working days of the initial notification. This response shall specifically state the Trustee's intent as to whether or not the Trustee chooses to participate in the ecological risk assessment process. In the event that any Trustee fails to respond within the five working days, the TNRCC will proceed as if the Trustee chose not to participate in the ecological risk assessment process for that affected property. Subsection (j) of this MOU explains how a Trustee may enter the process at a later date.         
        (2) Documents. After the timely receipt of a Trustee's written intent to participate in the ecological risk assessment process, the TNRCC Trustee shall send copies of pertinent documents to the primary contacts by regular mail (unless an alternate contact or method is identified in advance). The TNRCC Trustee shall provide the primary and secondary contacts with electronic mail notification (unless an alternate method of notification has been mutually agreed to in advance) that the documents have been mailed. The TNRCC shall provide documents in a timely manner to ensure that the Trustees have the maximum time available for the review of documents. The TNRCC Trustee shall coordinate the review of ecological risk assessment work plans, reports, and other relevant documents with the Trustees.       
        (3) Trustee comments. Unless otherwise mutually agreed, the participating Trustees shall submit a unified set of written comments, if any, on the ecological risk assessment to the TNRCC ecological risk assessor. Trustee comments on ecological risk assessment documents must be technically defensible and relevant to the ecological risk assessment process.                  (A) Deadline for comments and extensions.                      (i) The Trustees shall have 20 calendar days from the date of postmark on any documents received to respond to both the TNRCC Trustee contacts with comments. This time period may be reduced to coincide with a deadline of less than 20 calendar days if necessary to meet the TNRCC PM's deadline. In the event that a greater period of time is available, as determined by the TNRCC PM, an extended deadline shall be provided to the Trustees.                       (ii) The Trustees may request an extension of the comment period of up to seven calendar days by writing (electronic mail is acceptable) to both the TNRCC Trustee contacts not less than three calendar days prior to the comment deadline. The TNRCC may, in its sole discretion, grant or deny such requests for extensions. The TNRCC will respond to all participating Trustees regarding such requests within 24 hours after receipt. If the Trustees do not receive a response from the TNRCC, the request for an extension is presumed to be denied.                       (iii) In the event that any Trustee fails to provide comments within the prescribed deadline (including any extension), the TNRCC will proceed as if the Trustee has no comments.                    Cont'd...