The Munitions Response Committee (MRC) is a group made up of representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the military services, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders in the munitions response process. The MRC was established several years ago following the collapse of the Range Rule. The goal of the MRC was to continue the dialogue between the Department of Defense (DoD) and the regulatory community over munitions response and UXO related issues. MRC participants discuss various issues and share their views, perspectives, and positions on munitions response related topics such as clean up authorities, the use of open burn open detonation, and long term management of UXO sites. As consensus was reached on a topic, a white paper was drafted to document the results. In theory, the completed white papers would then be used by both sides as they drafted their respective policy and guidance documents related to munitions response. The goal of the process was to avoid miscommunications or pitfalls in the field that have plagued UXO cleanup projects in the past. In past years, disagreements between regulators and DoD at UXO sites have resulted in large cost over runs and extensive schedule delays as both sides argued over authorities, roles, and responsibilities.

[More]