About the Administrative Record and Post Decision File

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilities Act (CERCLA) requires that an Administrative Record (AR) of the documents that form the basis for selection of a response action at a site be made available to the public. The AR provides the basis for public participation and involvement and also keeps the public informed on how the Department of Energy (DOE) reached its decisions on environmental cleanup. The AR and Post Decision (PD) Files also provide a record for judicial review by documenting the government deliberative process.

The AR File is the collection of documents compiled before a decision is made on a response action. When a Record of Decision is signed, the AR File closes and at that time becomes the AR.

Documents that may be included in the AR File are:
     • Investigation Reports and Sampling Data
     • Project Work Plans
     • Analyses of possible alternatives
     • Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analyses (EE/CA) Reports
     • Action Memorandums
     • Technical Studies
     • Preliminary Assessment Reports
     • Community Relations Plans
     • DOE and Regulator Approvals
     • Public Comments
     • Public Notices

The Post Decision File contains documents generated after the Record of Decision document for a CERCLA response action has been signed. This file documents the actual remediation phase of a CERCLA project and is considered to be part of the AR.

Documents that may be included in the PD File are:
     •Records of Decision
     •Post-Construction Reports
     •Documents Relevant to the Response Selection but Generated or Received After the Decision Document is Signed
     •DOE and regulator Approvals
     •Post Record of Decision Modifications
     •Public Comments
     •Public Notices