State agencies which spend CERCLA funds must account for and document all response costs to permit recovery of these costs from responsible parties by EPA and the State. Funds may also be provided to the State by EPA under a grant system to undertake Superfund related response activities. State agencies which spend CERCLA grant funds must account for and document all State costs.

This manual outlines procedures involved with the expenditure of funds by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for CERCLA activities. It sets forth financial management and recordkeeping requirements for Superfund sites and for CERCLA related activities covered by EPA grants. Many of the princi

- Code of Federal Regulations, (CFR), Title 40, Part 31, Part 33 and Part 35, Subpart "O".

- facilitate accountability and cost recovery; and

- Ensure that appropriate records are available to the public under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA).

c. CHALLENGES TO STATE EXPENSE RECORDS

Certain personal and business information may be protected from disclosure and the Attorney General's (AG's) office must always be contacted in deciding on information to be withheld. Examples of information that may be withheld from disclosure, but are not limited to: social security numbers, credit card numbers, vacation and sick leave balances, and home addresses. An example of business information that may withheld is confidential trade or financial information

- Setting policy and adopting regulations;

 Justification for procurement made on a non-competitively negotiated basis, where required

Among its authorities DBFP approves service contracts and automatic data processing contracts in the amount of $100,000 or less. It also has authority over purchasing, leasing and rental of motor vehicles for use by State officials and employees. Other authorities of DBFP are described in COMAR, Title 21. DBFP may delegate some of its procurement authority to other agencies.

Some common words found in the essay are:
CFR Title, Percentage EPA's, Fiscal Services, RECORDS Cost, COMAR Title, STAFF Trained, EPA State's, DESTROY Maintaining, OAS FUNCTIONS, RECOVERY CERCLA, cost recovery, cost documentation, financial management, site ou, management recordkeeping, ou activity, response activities, financial management recordkeeping, site ou activity, fiscal services, pca codes, record keeping, cfr title 40, costs responsible parties, superfund financial management,
Approximate Word count = 4124
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)