The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. History and goals Congress enacted RCRA to address the increasing problems the nation faced from its growing volume of municipal and industrial waste. RCRA was an amendment of the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. The act set national goals for: Protecting human health and the natural environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal. Energy conservation and natural resources. Reducing the amount of waste generated, through source reduction and recycling Ensuring the management of waste in an environmentally sound manner.The RCRA program is a joint federal and state endeavor, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) providing basic requirements that states then adopt, adapt, and enforce. RCRA is now most widely known for the regulations promulgated under it that set standards for the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste in the United States. However, it also plays an integral role in the management of municipal and industrial waste as well as underground storage tanks. Implementation EPA has published waste management regulations, which are codified in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations at parts 239 through 282. Regulations regarding management of hazardous waste begin in part 260. States are authorized to operate their own hazardous waste programs, which must be at least as stringent as federal standards, and are tasked with creating state implementation plans for managing solid waste. Provisions Subtitle A: General Provisions Congressional Findings; Objectives and National Policy Definitions Interstate Cooperation; Application of Act and Integration with Other Acts Financial Disclosure; Solid Waste Management Information and GuidelinesSubtitle B: Office of Solid Waste; Authorities of the Administrator Office of Solid Waste and Interagency Coordinating Committee Authorities of EPA Administrator Resource Recovery and Conservation Panels; Grants Annual Report; Office of OmbudsmanSubtitle C: "Cradle to Grave" requirements for hazardous waste Arguably the most notable provisions of the RCRA statute are included in Subtitle C, which directs EPA to establish controls on the management of hazardous wastes from their point of generation, through their transportation and treatment, storage and/or disposal. Because RCRA requires controls on hazardous waste generators (i.e., sites that generate hazardous waste), transporters, and treatment, storage and disposal facilities (i.e., facilities that ultimately treat/dispose of or recycle the hazardous waste), the overall regulatory framework has become known as the "cradle to grave" system. States are authorized to implement their own hazardous waste programs. The statute imposes stringent recordkeeping and reporting requirements on generators, transporters, and operators of treatment, storage and disposal facilities handling hazardous waste. Subtitle D: Non-hazardous Solid Wastes Subtitle D provides criteria for landfills and other waste disposal facilities, and banned open landfills. EPA published its initial standards in 1979 for "sanitary" landfills that receive municipal solid waste. The "solid waste" definition includes garbage (e.g., food containers, coffee grounds), non-recycled household appliances, residue from incinerated automobile tires, refuse such as metal scrap, construction materials, and sludge from industrial and sewage treatment plants and drinking water treatment plants. Subtitle D also exempted certain hazardous wastes from the Subtitle C regulations, such as hazardous wastes from households and from conditionally exempt small quantity generators. Special wastes In 1980 Congress designated several kinds of industrial wastes as "special wastes," which are exempt from Subtitle C, including oil and gas exploration and production wastes (such as drill cuttings, produced water, and drilling fluids), coal combustion residuals generated by electric power plants and other industries, mining waste, and cement kiln dust. See Solid Waste Disposal Amendments of 1980. Subtitle E: Department of Commerce responsibilities Development of Specifications for secondary materials; Development of markets for recovered material. Technology promotionSubtitle F: Federal responsibilities Application of Federal, State and Local Law to Federal Facilities Federal procurement Cooperation with EPA; Applicability of solid waste disposal guidelines to executive agenciesSubtitle G: Miscellaneous provisions Whistleblower protection. Employees in the United States who believe they were fired or suffered another adverse action related to enforcement of this law have 30 days to file a written complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Citizen Suits; Imminent Hazard suits Petition for regulations; Public participationSubtitle H: Research, Development, Demonstration and Information Research, Demonstrations, Training; Special Studies Coordination, collection, dissemination of informationSubtitle I: Underground Storage Tanks BackgroundThe operation of underground storage tanks (USTs) became subject to the RCRA regulatory program with enactment of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA). At that time there were about 2.1 million tanks subject to federal regulation, and the EPA program led to closure and removal of most substandard tanks. As of 2009 there were approximately 600,000 active USTs at 223,000 sites subject to federal regulation. Regulatory requirementsThe federal UST regulations cover tanks storing petroleum or listed hazardous substances, and define the types of tanks permitted. EPA established a tank notification system to track UST status. UST regulatory programs are principally administered by state and U.S. territorial agencies.The regulations set standards for: Groundwater monitoring Double liners Release detection, prevention and correction Spill control Overfill control (for petroleum products) Restrictions on land disposal of untreatable hazardous waste products.The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) required owners and operators of USTs to ensure corrective action is completed when a tank is in need of repair, or removal, when it is necessary to protect human health and the environment. The amendments established a trust fund to pay for the cleanup of leaking UST sites where responsible parties cannot be identified.It is also recommended that above-ground storage tanks are used whenever possible. Subtitle J: Medical Waste (expired) RCRA Subtitle J regulated medical waste in four states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island) and Puerto Rico, and expired on March 22, 1991. (See Medical Waste Tracking Act.) State environmental and health agencies regulate medical waste, rather than EPA. Other federal agencies have issued safety regulation.... Discover the C L Bevill popular books. Find the top 100 most popular C L Bevill books.