98-17264. Organobromine Production Wastes; Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste; Land Disposal Restrictions: Listing of CERCLA Hazardous Substances, Reportable Quantities; Final Rule  

  • [Federal Register Volume 63, Number 124 (Monday, June 29, 1998)]
    [Rules and Regulations]
    [Pages 35147-35150]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 98-17264]
    
    
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    ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
    
    40 CFR Parts 148, 268, and 271
    
    [FRL-6115-4]
    RIN 2050-AD79
    
    
    Organobromine Production Wastes; Identification and Listing of 
    Hazardous Waste; Land Disposal Restrictions: Listing of CERCLA 
    Hazardous Substances, Reportable Quantities; Final Rule
    
    AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
    
    ACTION: Technical amendment.
    
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    SUMMARY: On May 4, 1998, EPA published regulations listing two 
    organobromine production wastes as hazardous. It also set land disposal 
    restrictions prohibitions and treatment standards for those wastes. 
    This document corrects purely technical errors in the final 
    regulations.
    
    EFFECTIVE DATE: This rule is effective on June 29, 1998.
    
    ADDRESSES: Supporting materials for the final rule are available for 
    viewing in the RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal 
    Gateway One, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, First Floor, Arlington, VA. 
    The Docket Identification Number is F-98-OBLF-FFFFF. The RCRA Docket is 
    open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for Federal 
    holidays. The public must make an appointment to review docket 
    materials by calling (703) 603-9230. The public may copy a maximum of 
    100 pages from any regulatory document at no cost. Additional copies 
    cost $0.15 per page.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact the 
    RCRA Hotline at (800) 424-9346 (toll free) or (703) 920-9810 in the 
    Washington, DC
    
    [[Page 35148]]
    
    metropolitan area. For information on this notice contact Rhonda 
    Minnick (5302W), Office of Solid Waste, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, 
    DC 20460, (703) 308-8771.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This rule is available on the Internet. 
    Please follow these instructions to access the rule electronically: 
    From the World Wide Web (WWW), type http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer, then 
    select option for Rules and Regulations.
        The official record for this action is kept in a paper format, and 
    is maintained at the address in the ADDRESSES section at the beginning 
    of this document.
    
    I. Reasons and Basis for Today's Amendment
    
        The Agency has found a number of purely technical errors in the 
    final rule. Today's amendment makes technical corrections where 
    appropriate.
    
    II. Amendments to the Final Rule
    
    A. Section 148.18
    
        Paragraph (f) of Sec. 148.18 stated that the effective date of the 
    prohibition for the underground injection of organobromine production 
    wastes was August 3, 1998, the date 90 days from date of publication. 
    This is in error. A waste cannot be prohibited from land disposal, 
    including underground injection, before it is a hazardous waste. The 
    wastes do not become hazardous until November 4, 1998, six months from 
    the date of publication (63 FR 24596). Therefore, the effective date 
    for Sec. 148.18 is being amended to conform with the effective date of 
    the listing, November 4, 1998.
    
    B. Section 268.33
    
        Paragraph (b) of Sec. 268.33 is unnecessary and is thus being 
    removed. The paragraph stated that the organobromine production wastes 
    could be land disposed between May 4, 1998 and November 4, 1998 only in 
    a unit meeting minimum technological requirements. Such a prohibition 
    does not make sense, however, because the organobromine production 
    wastes are not hazardous until November 4, 1998. To clarify that there 
    is no prohibition on land disposal of these wastes between May 4, 1998 
    and November 4, 1998, paragraph (b) is omitted, paragraph (c) is 
    designated as (b), and paragraph (d) is designated as (c).
        Paragraph (c) (new paragraph (b)) is amended so that it no longer 
    references paragraph (b), the paragraph being omitted as discussed 
    above. Removal of this unneccesary cross-reference will make new 
    paragraph (b) much easier to understand.
        Paragraph (d) (new paragraph (c)) included language that applies 
    only to wastes that display a hazardous characteristic. It stated: ``If 
    the waste contains constituents (including underlying hazardous 
    constituents in characteristic wastes that have been diluted to remove 
    the characteristic) in excess of the applicable Universal Treatment 
    Standard levels of Sec. 268.48 of this Part, the waste is prohibited 
    from land disposal, and all requirements of Part 268 are applicable, 
    except as otherwise specified.'' The italicized phrase does not apply 
    to organobromine production wastes because they are wastes that are 
    listed as hazardous rather than ones that display a hazardous 
    characteristic. The phrase is removed by this action.
    
    C. Section 268.40
    
        There was a mistake in the treatment standard table for K140. The 
    table erroneously stated that the treatment standard for 2,4,6-
    Tribromophenol wastewaters was 0.35. The treatment standard is 
    corrected to be 0.035, which conforms to the wastewater treatment 
    standards for 2,4,6-Tribromophenol in U408, and in the Universal 
    Treatment Standards table.
    
    D. Section 271.1
    
        There were two mistakes in Sec. 271.1(j), Table 2. The effective 
    dates in Table 2 appeared as August 3, 1998, and May 4, 2000. Both of 
    these dates were incorrect. They are corrected by this amendment to be 
    November 4, 1998.
    
    III. Rationale for Immediate Effective Date
    
        Today's notice does not create any new regulatory requirements; 
    rather, it clarifies requirements by correcting a number of errors in 
    the May 4, 1998 final rule. For these reasons, EPA finds that good 
    cause exists under section 3010(b)(3) of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. 9903(b)(3), to 
    provide for an immediate effective date. See generally 61 FR at 15662. 
    For the same reasons, EPA finds that there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 
    553(b)(3) to promulgate today's corrections in final form and that 
    there is good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3) to waive the requirement 
    that regulations be published at least 30 days before they become 
    effective.
    
    IV. Analysis Under Executive Order 12866, the Unfunded Mandates 
    Reform Act of 1995, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Paperwork 
    Reduction Act, National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 
    1995, and Executive Order 13045
    
        Under Executive Order 12866, this action is not a ``significant 
    regulatory action'' and is therefore not subject to review by the 
    Office of Management and Budget. In addition, this action does not 
    impose annual costs of $100 million or more, will not significantly or 
    uniquely affect small governments, and is not a significant federal 
    intergovernmental mandate. The Agency thus has no obligations under 
    sections 202, 203, 204 and 205 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 
    Moreover, since this action is not subject to notice-and-comment 
    requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act or any other 
    statute, it is not subject to sections 603 or 604 of the Regulatory 
    Flexibility Act, and it does not affect requirements under the 
    Paperwork Reduction Act. Section 12(d) of the National Technology 
    Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA), Pub. L. No. 104-113, 
    Section 12(d) (15 U.S.C. 272 note) directs EPA to use voluntary 
    consensus standards in its regulatory activities unless to do so would 
    be inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise impractical. Voluntary 
    consensus standards are technical standards (e.g., materials 
    specifications, test methods, sampling procedures, and business 
    practices) that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus 
    standards bodies. The NTTAA directs EPA to provide Congress, through 
    OMB, explanations when the Agency decides not to use available and 
    applicable voluntary consensus standards. Neither this technical 
    correction action nor the final rule involve technical standards. 
    Therefore, EPA did not consider the use of any voluntary standards in 
    this rulemaking. This final rule is not subject to E.O. 13045, entitled 
    ``Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety 
    Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997), because this action is not an 
    economically significant rule, and it does not involve decisions on 
    environmental health risks or safety risks that may disproportionately 
    affect children.
    
    V. Submission to Congress and the General Accounting Office
    
        The Congressional Review Act, 5 U.S.C. 801 et seq., as added by the 
    Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, generally 
    provides that before a rule may take effect, the agency promulgating 
    the rule must
    
    [[Page 35149]]
    
    submit a rule report, which includes a copy of the rule, to each House 
    of the Congress and to the Comptroller General of the United States. 
    Section 808 allows the issuing agency to make a good cause finding that 
    notice and public procedure is impracticable, unnecessary or contrary 
    to the public interest. This determination must be supported by a brief 
    statement. 5 U.S.C. 808(2). As stated previously, EPA has made such a 
    good cause finding, including the reasons therefore, and established an 
    effective date of June 29, 1998. EPA will submit a report containing 
    this rule and other required information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. 
    House of Representatives, and the Comptroller General of the United 
    States prior to publication of the rule in the Federal Register. This 
    action is [is not] a ``major rule'' as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
    
    List of Subjects
    
    40 CFR Part 148
    
        Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
    Hazardous waste, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Water 
    supply.
    
    40 CFR Part 268
    
        Hazardous waste, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
    
    40 CFR Part 271
    
        Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
    Confidential business information, Hazardous materials transportation, 
    Hazardous waste, Indian lands, Intergovernmental relations, Penalties, 
    Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Water pollution control, 
    Water supply.
    
        Dated: June 18, 1998.
    Timothy Fields, Jr.,
    Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
    Response.
    
        For the reasons set forth in the preamble, title 40, chapter I of 
    the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
    
    PART 148--HAZARDOUS WASTE INJECTION RESTRICTIONS
    
        1. The authority citation for part 148 continues to read as 
    follows:
    
        Authority: Sec. 3004, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 
    U.S.C. 6901, et seq.
    
        2. Section 148.18 is amended by revising paragraph (f) to read as 
    follows:
    
    
    Sec. 148.18  Hazardous waste injection restrictions.
    
    * * * * *
        (f) Effective November 4, 1998, the wastes specified in 40 CFR 
    261.32 as EPA Hazardous Waste number K140, and in 40 CFR 261.33(f) as 
    EPA Hazardous Waste number U408 are prohibited from injection.
    
    PART 268--LAND DISPOSAL RESTRICTIONS
    
        3. The authority citation for Part 268 continues to read as 
    follows:
    
        Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a), 6921, and 6924.
    
        4. Section 268.33 is amended by removing paragraph (b), by 
    redesignating paragraph (c) as (b), and paragraph (d) as (c), and 
    revising redesignated paragraphs (b) introductory text, and (c) to read 
    as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 268.33  Waste-specific prohibitions--organobromine wastes.
    
    * * * * *
        (b) The requirements of paragraph (a) of this section do not apply 
    if:
    * * * * *
        (c) To determine whether a hazardous waste identified in this 
    section exceeds the applicable treatment standards specified in 
    Sec. 268.40, the initial generator must test a sample of the waste 
    extract or the entire waste, depending on whether the treatment 
    standards are expressed as concentrations in the waste extract or the 
    waste, or the generator may use knowledge of the waste. If the waste 
    contains constituents in excess of the applicable Universal Treatment 
    Standard levels of Sec. 268.48 of this part, the waste is prohibited 
    from land disposal, and all requirements of part 268 are applicable, 
    except as otherwise specified.
        5. Section 268.40 is amended by revising in the table the entry for 
    K140 to read as follows. The appropriate footnotes are republished 
    without change.
    
    
    Sec. 268.40  Applicability of treatment standards.
    
    * * * * *
    
                                        Treatment Standards for Hazardous Wastes                                    
                                            [Note: NA means not applicable.]                                        
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                                            Regulated Hazardous  Constituent      Waste-  waters   Nonwaste-  waters
                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Waste description                                                            Concentration in
       Waste code       and treatment/                                           Concentration in   mg/kg\5\ unless 
                          regulatory         Common name         CAS 2 No.          mg/l 3; or      noted as ``mg/l 
                        subcategory \1\                                          technology code       TCLP''; or   
                                                                                       \4\          technology code 
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    *                  *                  *                  *                  *                    *              
                                                              *                                                     
    K140............  Floor sweepings,    2,4,6-                      118-79-6              0.035                7.4
                       off-specification   Tribromophenol.                                                          
                       product, and                                                                                 
                       spent filter                                                                                 
                       media from the                                                                               
                       production of                                                                                
                       2,4,6                                                                                        
                       tribromophenol..                                                                             
                                                                                                                    
    *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                
                                                            *                                                       
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    Footnotes to Treatment Standard Table 268.40                                                                    
    \1\ The waste descriptions provided in this table do not replace waste descriptions in 40 CFR 261. Descriptions 
      of Treatment/Regulatory Subcategories are provided, as needed, to distinguish between applicability of        
      different standards.                                                                                          
    \2\ CAS means Chemical Abstract Services. When the waste code and/or regulated constituents are described as a  
      combination of a chemical with its salts and/or esters, the CAS number is given for the parent compound only. 
    \3\ Concentration standards for wastewaters are expressed in mg/l and are based on analysis of composite        
      samples.                                                                                                      
    \4\ All treatment standards expressed as a Technology Code or combination of Technology Codes are explained in  
      detail in 40 CFR 268.42 Table 1--Technology Codes and Descriptions of Technology-Based Standards.             
    
    [[Page 35150]]
    
                                                                                                                    
    \5\ Except for Metals (EP or TCLP) and Cyanides (Total and Amenable) the nonwastewater treatment standards      
      expressed as a concentration were established, in part, based upon incineration in units operated in          
      accordance with the technical requirements of 40 CFR Part 264 Subpart O or Part 265 Subpart O, or based upon  
      combustion in fuel substitution units operating in accordance with applicable technical requirements. A       
      facility may comply with these treatment standards according to provisions in 40 CFR 268.40(d). All           
      concentration standards for nonwastewaters are based on analysis of grab samples.                             
    \6\ Where an alternate treatment standard or set of alternate standards has been indicated, a facility may      
      comply with this alternate standard, but only for the Treatment/Regulatory Subcategory or physical form (i.e.,
      wastewater and/or nonwastewater) specified for that alternate standard.                                       
    \7\ Both Cyanides (Total) and Cyanides (Amenable) for nonwastewaters are to be analyzed using Method 9010 or    
      9012, found in ``Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,'' EPA Publication SW-846,
      as incorporated by reference in 40 CFR 260.11, with a sample size of 10 grams and a distillation time of one  
      hour and 15 minutes.                                                                                          
    \8\ These wastes, when rendered nonhazardous and then subsequently managed in CWA, or CWA-equivalent systems,   
      are not subject to treatment standards. (See Sec.  268.1(c)(3)and (4)).                                       
    \9\ These wastes, when rendered nonhazardous and then subsequently injected in a Class I SDWA well, are not     
      subject to treatment standards. (See Sec.  148.1(d)).                                                         
    \10\ Between August 26, 1996, and August 26, 1997, the treatment standard for this waste may be satisfied by    
      either meeting the constituent concentrations in this table or by treating the waste by the specified         
      technologies: combustion, as defined by the technology code CMBST at Sec.  268.42 Table 1 of this Part, for   
      nonwastewaters; and, biodegradation as defined by the technolgy code BIODG, carbon adsorption as defined by   
      the technology code CARBN, chemical oxidation as defined by the technology code CHOXD, or combustion as       
      defined as technology code CMBST at Sec.  268.42 Table 1 of this Part, for wastewaters.                       
    \11\ For these wastes, the definition of CMBST is limited to: (1) combustion units operating under 40 CFR 266,  
      (2) combustion units permitted under 40 CFR Part 264, Subpart O, or (3) combustion units operating under 40   
      CFR 265, Subpart O, which have obtained a determination of equivalent treatment under 268.42 (b).             
    
    PART 271--REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTHORIZATION OF STATE HAZARDOUS WASTE 
    PROGRAMS
    
        6. The authority citation for Part 271 continues to read as 
    follows:
    
        Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6905, 6912(a) and 6926.
    
    Subpart A--Requirements for Final Authorization
    
        7. Section 271.1(j) is amended by revising the entries in Table 2 
    for August 3, 1998 and for May 4, 2000 to read as follows:
    
    
    Sec. 271.1  Purpose and scope.
    
    * * * * *
        (j) * * *
    
                      Table 2.--Self-Implementing Provisions of the Solid Waste Amendments of 1984                  
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                                              Self-implementing                                  Federal Register   
                Effective date                    provision              RCRA citation              reference       
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                    
    *                  *                    *                  *                    *                    *          
                                                               *                                                    
    November 4, 1998.....................  Prohibition on land      3004(g)(4)(C) and        May 4, 1998; 63 FR     
                                            disposal of newly        3004(m).                 24596                 
                                            listed and identified                                                   
                                            wastes..                                                                
    November 4, 1998.....................  Prohibition on land      3004(m) 3004(g)(4)(C)        Do.                
                                            disposal of              and 3004(m).                                   
                                            radioactive waste                                                       
                                            mixed with the newly                                                    
                                            listed and identified                                                   
                                            wastes, including soil                                                  
                                            and debris..                                                            
                                                                                                                    
    *                  *                  *                    *                  *                  *              
                                                             *                                                      
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    * * * * *
    [FR Doc. 98-17264 Filed 6-26-98; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Effective Date:
6/29/1998
Published:
06/29/1998
Department:
Environmental Protection Agency
Entry Type:
Rule
Action:
Technical amendment.
Document Number:
98-17264
Dates:
This rule is effective on June 29, 1998.
Pages:
35147-35150 (4 pages)
Docket Numbers:
FRL-6115-4
RINs:
2050-AD79: Listing Determination for Hazardous Wastes--Organobromines Chemical Industry
RIN Links:
https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2050-AD79/listing-determination-for-hazardous-wastes-organobromines-chemical-industry
PDF File:
98-17264.pdf
CFR: (4)
40 CFR 148.18
40 CFR 268.33
40 CFR 268.40
40 CFR 271.1