Hazardous Waste: Remediation Waste Requirements Can Increase the Time and Cost of Cleanups
RCED-98-4
Published: Oct 06, 1997. Publicly Released: Oct 31, 1997.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) the ways, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and selected state program managers and industry representatives, that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act's (RCRA) requirements, when applied to waste from cleanups (often referred to as remediation waste), affect cleanups; and (2) the actions EPA has taken to address any impediments.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | Until comprehensive legislative reform is achieved to address RCRA's disincentives to cleanups, the Administrator, EPA, should take steps to ensure that regulators overseeing cleanups have a more consistent understanding of how to apply EPA's existing policy and regulatory alternatives to RCRA's requirements for managing remediation waste. These steps could include, for example, consolidating the policy and regulatory alternatives into one guidance document, training all cleanup managers in its appropriate use, and providing follow-up legal assistance for site-specific implementation questions. |
Closed – Implemented
In response to the first part of the recommendation, in October 1998, EPA issued a memorandum to all EPA regions entitled "Management of Remediation Waste Under RCRA", which consolidates regulatory alternatives into one guidance document. The document provides information on regulations and policies that apply to all remediation waste, and specifically, contaminated media (such as soil) and contaminated debris. In response to the recommendation that EPA train regulators on the use of existing remediation waste regulations under CERCLA, EPA developed a series of classes which, among other things, explains remediation waste regulations and their appropriate uses to regulators around the country.
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Environmental lawEnvironmental policiesstate relationsHazardous substancesLand managementPollution controlWaste managementHazardous wastesProperty disposalSuperfund