Clarification to Interim Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiry Under CERCLA and Notice of Future Rulemaking Action

On January 24, 2003, we published a direct final rule entitled "Clarification to Interim Standards and Practices for All Appropriate Inquiry Under CERCLA and Notice of Future Rulemaking Action" (68 FR 3430). We published the direct final rule to clarify a provision included in recent amendments to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Specifically, the direct final rule addressed the interim standard set by Congress in the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("the Brownfields Law") for conducting "all appropriate inquiry." We stated in the direct final rule that if we received adverse comment by February 24, 2003, we would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register. We subsequently received adverse comment on the direct final rule, and therefore are withdrawing the direct final rule. We will address those comments in a subsequent final action on the parallel proposed rule also published on January 24, 2003 (68 FR 3478). As stated in the parallel proposed rule, we will not institute a second comment period on this action.