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**Policy & Planning
**Science & Statistics

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Course Description:  This course is intended for participants that have taken the Natural Resource and Damage Assessment (NRDAR) course, or who have a good understanding of the overall NRDAR program.  This course provides more indepth coverage of topics introduced in the basic NRDAR course, including: natural resource economics, assessment tools, case management, case development, assessment planning, working with trustee councils, working with potentially responsible parties (PRPs), legal issues, and restoration planning and implementation.  The course will also explore issues regarding cooperative assessments undertaken with PRPs, along with issues specific to the litigation of NRD cases.  The course is comprised of lecture and practical exercises with time for discussion.

Who should attend:  Personnel from natural resource trustee agencies (Federal, state, and tribes) whose responsibilities include evaluating and participating in the NRDAR process.  Due to the legal sensitivity of cases discussed, this course is closed to the private sector.

Course length:  4.5 days/36 hours

Objectives: At the completion of this course the participant should be able to do the following:

• Effectively support the case manager;
• Discern and defend that they have a NRDA case;
• Document costs and maintain an administrative record;
• Conduct injury assessment using existing data or planned studies;
• Apply fundamental natural resource economics concepts to damage assessments;
• Understand the issues and concerns raised in preparing a damage assessment for litigation;
• Understand the possible types of settlements (consent decree, bankruptcy, etc);
• Determine the restoration that meets the needs of a NRDA case;
• Establish appropriate and legally sufficient public involvement and participation plans for restoration planning and implementation;
• Understand the interplay of NEPA with NRDs public outreach obligations;
• Work effectively with Trustee Councils, particularly when comprised of members with different missions; and
• Work effectively with Potentially Responsible Parties.

** Recommended precourses:

LED 5102   Introduction to Interest-based Negotiations
LED 5136   Applying Collaboration to Environmental Issues
OUT 8127  Public Participation and Informed Consent: Bleiker Approach for Public Officials to Complex Problem Solving