Proposed Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements

EPA 09-25 NPRM improve RCRA rules.pdf

On September 25, 2015 (80 FR 57918), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed ruling in the federal register to revise the hazardous waste generator regulations (40 CFR Parts 260 – 279) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to improve compliance and thereby enhance protection of human health and the environment. Specifically, EPA proposes to revise certain components of the hazardous waste generator regulatory program; address gaps in the regulations; provide greater flexibility for hazardous waste generators to manage their hazardous waste in a cost-effective and protective manner; reorganize the hazardous waste generator regulations to make them more user-friendly and thus improve their usability by the regulated community; and make technical corrections and conforming changes to address inadvertent errors, remove obsolete references to programs that no longer exist, and improve the readability of the regulations. These proposed changes are both a result of EPA’s experience in implementing and evaluating the hazardous waste generator program over the last 30 years, as well as a response to concerns and issues identified by the states and regulated community. Comments must be received on or before November 24, 2015.