[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31463-31464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-15320]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6109-5]
Hazardous Waste Land Disposal Restrictions: Notice of Public
Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Office of Solid
Waste will hold a public roundtable discussion on the Agency's efforts
to evaluate important aspects of and potentially improve the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR)
Program. The purpose of the roundtable is to enable individuals who
have substantial experience in implementing the LDR Program to offer
their own evaluations and suggestions on possible improvements to the
program. EPA's overall goal in the LDR reinvention project is to
examine the best way to ensure the program is environmentally
protective, less expensive, more efficient and flexible, clearer to the
public, and more enforceable. The public is welcome to observe the
discussions among participants and will be afforded some opportunities
to express their views. However, this meeting is not intended to be a
full public hearing.
DATES: The meeting will be held on July 1 and 2, 1998, from 8:30 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Arlington at
Ballston, 4610 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For registration matters, contact Ms.
Lisa Enderle of SAIC at (703) 645-6950. For technical questions
regarding the LDRs, contact Rhonda Minnick of EPA's Office of Solid
Waste at (703) 308-8771; e-mail: minnick.rhonda@epamail.epa.gov. For
general information on the LDRs, contact EPA's RCRA Hotline at (800)
824-9346 or TDD (800) 553-7672 (hearing impaired). In the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area, call (703) 412-9810 or TDD (703) 412-3323.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Accommodations
Guest rooms may be reserved by calling the Holiday Inn Arlington at
Ballston directly at (703) 243-9800 by June 8, 1998. Please reference
the ``LDR Roundtable'' to receive the special government room rate.
Registration
Only registered participants will be eligible to take part in the
roundtable discussions (subject to the final agenda and meeting
structure). Depending on the number of persons seeking to be full
discussion participants, EPA may need to tailor the meeting structure
and limit the number of full participants to 75 individuals to insure
that useful results are obtained in the time available. Details will be
developed and communicated on meeting structure as early as possible.
To register as an observer or to register as a full participant
(requested), please download a registration form via the Internet from
the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/ldr/
register.htm. To receive a registration form via fax and/or for
additional meeting and logistical information please contact Ms. Lisa
Enderle of SAIC at (703) 645-6950. The registration deadline is June
19, 1998.
Background
In the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to RCRA, Congress
prohibited the land disposal of hazardous wastes unless the wastes meet
treatment standards established by EPA. The statute requires that these
treatment standards substantially diminish the toxicity or mobility of
hazardous wastes so that short- and long-term threats to human health
and the environment are minimized. RCRA section 3004(m). In response,
EPA has developed a series of rulemakings under the LDR Program setting
forth standards for treatment of hazardous wastes destined for land
disposal.
Once a hazardous waste is prohibited, the statute provides only two
options for legal land disposal: meet the treatment standard for the
waste prior to land disposal or dispose of the waste in a land disposal
unit that has been found to satisfy the statutory ``no migration''
test. A no migration unit is one from which there will be no migration
of hazardous constituents for as long as the waste remains hazardous.
RCRA sections 3004(d), (e), (f) and (g)(5).
To date, the Agency has implemented section 3004(m) of RCRA by
establishing treatment standards for chemical constituents in hazardous
wastes based upon the performance of the best demonstrated available
technology (BDAT) to treat the waste. EPA may establish treatment
standards as specified technologies, as constituent concentration
levels in treatment residuals, or both. When treatment standards are
set as levels, the regulated community may use any technology not
otherwise prohibited (such as impermissible dilution) to treat the
waste.
On January 13 and 14, 1993, EPA held a roundtable discussion on the
LDR Program with stakeholders from hazardous waste generators,
treaters, recyclers and disposers; public interest groups; State
environmental agencies; EPA regional offices; and other federal
agencies. The purpose of the 1993 roundtable was for EPA to hear
suggestions on improvements to the LDR Program from people who
implement it. As a result of those suggestions, EPA made several
significant changes to the LDRs, including consolidation of the three
treatment standard tables into one table, simplification of
notification requirements, and promulgation of universal treatment
standards. See 59 FR 47982, 48004 (Sept. 19, 1994) (final LDR Phase II
rule); 62 FR 25998, 26004 (May 12, 1997) (final Phase IV ``mini-
rule'').
EPA believes that, in general, the LDR Program is working and is an
impetus for source reduction and proper waste treatment. Nonetheless,
EPA's efforts to improve the LDR Program are on-going. Specifically, as
part of its LDR Reinvention Project, EPA has undertaken a multi-faceted
evaluation of the LDR Program to determine what is and is not working
well in the program. These Reinvention activities include interviews of
hazardous waste management experts, visits to different hazardous waste
treatment facilities, and analysis of RCRA Hotline and LDR staff
inquiries. EPA believes it would be valuable to build upon the
information obtained from these activities by holding a second
roundtable. The Agency anticipates that the roundtable will enable EPA
to gather additional stakeholder suggestions and to target areas of the
LDR Program for specific improvements.
As currently planned, the roundtable will begin with a plenary
session to obtain general comments from the attendees on the benefits
and burdens of the LDRs. The meeting will then proceed with a number of
breakout sessions involving discussion among designated participants in
smaller groups, each of which will focus on a subset of LDR issues.
[[Page 31464]]
The public is welcome to observe the discussions among participants
on July 1 and 2 and to request to be included as full discussion
participants. EPA will accommodate as many participant requests as
possible consistent with the final meeting agenda and structure.
However, this meeting is not intended to be a public hearing and only
pre-registered individuals will be allowed to participate actively,
depending on the final meeting agenda and structure. To ensure that
useful results are obtained in the time available, the Agency may limit
the number of full participants to 75 individuals. During the two days
of the roundtable, there will be a limited ``open microphone'' session
to obtain comments from non-participant attendees.
EPA has placed information concerning this roundtable, including
the registration forms and a preliminary agenda, in electronic format
on the Internet. These materials can be accessed via the Internet at
the EPA web site identified above. For those who cannot access the
Internet, hard copies may be obtained by contacting Ms. Lisa Enderle of
SAIC at (703) 645-6950.
Dated: June 4, 1998.
James R. Berlow,
Director, Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division.
[FR Doc. 98-15320 Filed 6-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
