§ 268.6 - Petitions to allow land disposal of a waste prohibited under subpart C of part 268.

§ 268.6 Petitions to allow land disposal of a waste prohibited under subpart C of part 268.

(a) Any person seeking an exemption from a prohibition under subpart C of this part for the disposal of a restricted hazardous waste in a particular unit or units must submit a petition to the Administrator demonstrating, to a reasonable degree of certainty, that there will be no migration of hazardous constituents from the disposal unit or injection zone for as long as the wastes remain hazardous. The demonstration must include the following components:

(1) An identification of the specific waste and the specific unit for which the demonstration will be made;

(2) A waste analysis to describe fully the chemical and physical characteristics of the subject waste;

(3) A comprehensive characterization of the disposal unit site including an analysis of background air, soil, and water quality.

(4) A monitoring plan that detects migration at the earliest practicable time;

(5) Sufficient information to assure the Administrator that the owner or operator of a land disposal unit receiving restricted waste(s) will comply with other applicable Federal, State, and local laws.

(b) The demonstration referred to in paragraph (a) of this section must meet the following criteria:

(1) All waste and environmental sampling, test, and analysis data must be accurate and reproducible to the extent that state-of-the-art techniques allow;

(2) All sampling, testing, and estimation techniques for chemical and physical properties of the waste and all environmental parameters must have been approved by the Administrator;

(3) Simulation models must be calibrated for the specific waste and site conditions, and verified for accuracy by comparison with actual measurements;

(4) A quality assurance and quality control plan that addresses all aspects of the demonstration must be approved by the Administrator; and,

(5) An analysis must be performed to identify and quantify any aspects of the demonstration that contribute significantly to uncertainty. This analysis must include an evaluation of the consequences of predictable future events, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, floods, severe storm events, droughts, or other natural phenomena.

(c) Each petition referred to in paragraph (a) of this section must include the following:

(1) A monitoring plan that describes the monitoring program installed at and/or around the unit to verify continued compliance with the conditions of the variance. This monitoring plan must provide information on the monitoring of the unit and/or the environment around the unit. The following specific information must be included in the plan:

(i) The media monitored in the cases where monitoring of the environment around the unit is required;

(ii) The type of monitoring conducted at the unit, in the cases where monitoring of the unit is required;

(iii) The location of the monitoring stations;

(iv) The monitoring interval (frequency of monitoring at each station);

(v) The specific hazardous constituents to be monitored;

(vi) The implementation schedule for the monitoring program;

(vii) The equipment used at the monitoring stations;

(viii) The sampling and analytical techniques employed; and

(ix) The data recording/reporting procedures.

(2) Where applicable, the monitoring program described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be in place for a period of time specified by the Administrator, as part of his approval of the petition, prior to receipt of prohibited waste at the unit.

(3) The monitoring data collected according to the monitoring plan specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be sent to the Administrator according to a format and schedule specified and approved in the monitoring plan, and

(4) A copy of the monitoring data collected under the monitoring plan specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section must be kept on-site at the facility in the operating record.

(5) The monitoring program specified under paragraph (c)(1) of this section meets the following criteria:

(i) All sampling, testing, and analytical data must be approved by the Administrator and must provide data that is accurate and reproducible.

(ii) All estimation and monitoring techniques must be approved by the Administrator.

(iii) A quality assurance and quality control plan addressing all aspects of the monitoring program must be provided to and approved by the Administrator.

(d) Each petition must be submitted to the Administrator.

(e) After a petition has been approved, the owner or operator must report any changes in conditions at the unit and/or the environment around the unit that significantly depart from the conditions described in the variance and affect the potential for migration of hazardous constituents from the units as follows:

(1) If the owner or operator plans to make changes to the unit design, construction, or operation, such a change must be proposed, in writing, and the owner or operator must submit a demonstration to the Administrator at least 30 days prior to making the change. The Administrator will determine whether the proposed change invalidates the terms of the petition and will determine the appropriate response. Any change must be approved by the Administrator prior to being made.

(2) If the owner or operator discovers that a condition at the site which was modeled or predicted in the petition does not occur as predicted, this change must be reported, in writing, to the Administrator within 10 days of discovering the change. The Administrator will determine whether the reported change from the terms of the petition requires further action, which may include termination of waste acceptance and revocation of the petition, petition modifications, or other responses.

(f) If the owner or operator determines that there is migration of hazardous constituent(s) from the unit, the owner or operator must:

(1) Immediately suspend receipt of prohibited waste at the unit, and

(2) Notify the Administrator, in writing, within 10 days of the determination that a release has occurred.

(3) Following receipt of the notification the Administrator will determine, within 60 days of receiving notification, whether the owner or operator can continue to receive prohibited waste in the unit and whether the variance is to be revoked. The Administrator shall also determine whether further examination of any migration is warranted under applicable provisions of part 264 or part 265.

(g) Each petition must include the following statement signed by the petitioner or an authorized representative:

I certify under penalty of law that I have personally examined and am familiar with the information submitted in this petition and all attached documents, and that, based on my inquiry of those individuals immediately responsible for obtaining the information, I believe that submitted information is true, accurate, and complete. I am aware that there are significant penalties for submitting false information, including the possibility of fine and imprisonment.

(h) After receiving a petition, the Administrator may request any additional information that reasonably may be required to evaluate the demonstration.

(i) If approved, the petition will apply to land disposal of the specific restricted waste at the individual disposal unit described in the demonstration and will not apply to any other restricted waste at that disposal unit, or to that specific restricted waste at any other disposal unit.

(j) The Administrator will give public notice in the Federal Register of the intent to approve or deny a petition and provide an opportunity for public comment. The final decision on a petition will be published in the Federal Register.

(k) The term of a petition granted under this section shall be no longer than the term of the RCRA permit if the disposal unit is operating under a RCRA permit, or up to a maximum of 10 years from the date of approval provided under paragraph (g) of this section if the unit is operating under interim status. In either case, the term of the granted petition shall expire upon the termination or denial of a RCRA permit, or upon the termination of interim status or when the volume limit of waste to be land disposed during the term of petition is reached.

(l) Prior to the Administrator's decision, the applicant is required to comply with all restrictions on land disposal under this part once the effective date for the waste has been reached.

(m) The petition granted by the Administrator does not relieve the petitioner of his responsibilities in the management of hazardous waste under 40 CFR part 260 through part 271.

(n) Liquid hazardous wastes containing polychlorinated biphenyls at concentrations greater than or equal to 500 ppm are not eligible for an exemption under this section.

[51 FR 40638, Nov. 7, 1986; 52 FR 21016, June 4, 1987, as amended at 52 FR 25789, July 8, 1987; 53 FR 31212, Aug. 17, 1988; 54 FR 36971, Sept. 6, 1989; 71 FR 40278, July 14, 2006]