By Guest Author:
Michael Blankestyn of TRC Environmental Corporation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published revisions to hazardous waste generator regulations on November 28, 2016. These revisions went into effect at a federal level and for non-delegated states on May 30, 2017. Authorized states are required to adopt the more stringent provisions by July 1, 2018. The revisions may apply to any facility that generates hazardous waste.
EPA intended the rule revisions to provide greater flexibility in managing hazardous waste in a cost-effective manner, and to provide technical corrections, remove obsolete references, improve readability, and clarify a number of ambiguities. These changes made some regulatory requirements, including hazardous waste determinations, labeling requirements, closure requirements, and contingency planning more stringent; other requirements including waste consolidation at Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQG), episodic waste generation, and the waiver from the 50-foot rule have been relaxed.
Click here for a chart that includes the recent status of each state’s implementation of the hazardous waste generator rule revisions (Note that this chart is general in nature and specific state guidance should be sought).
Highlights of the revised hazardous waste generator revisions include:
More stringent (all states must adopt these rules):
Less Stringent (states have the ability to adopt, see attached for current status):
Additional information regarding the Hazardous Waste Generator Rule revisions can be found here. The Federal Register Publication of the final rule is available here.