[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 43109-43111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21275]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 148

[FRL-5873-8]


Final Decision To Grant Chemical Waste Management, Inc. a 
Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the 
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of 
Hazardous Wastes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).


[[Page 43110]]


ACTION: Notice of final decision on a request to modify an exemption 
from the hazardous and solid waste amendments of the Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given by the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA or Agency) that modification of an exemption to the land disposal 
restrictions under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) has been granted to 
Chemical Waste Management, Inc. (CWM) of Oakbrook, Illinois. This 
modification allows CWM to inject RCRA-regulated hazardous wastes which 
will be banned from land disposal on August 11, 1997, as a result of 
regulations promulgated on May 12, 1997. Wastes designated by a total 
of 11 additional RCRA waste codes, may continue to be land disposed 
through four waste disposal wells at the facility at Vickery, Ohio. As 
required by 40 CFR part 148, CWM has demonstrated, to a reasonable 
degree of certainty, that there will be no migration of hazardous 
constituents from the injection zone utilized by CWM's waste disposal 
facility located near Vickery, Ohio, for as long as the newly exempted 
waste remains hazardous. This decision constitutes a final Agency 
action for which there is no administrative appeal.

DATES: This action is effective as of August 12, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harlan Gerrish or Nathan Wiser, Lead 
Petition Reviewers, Region 5, telephone (312) 886-2939 or (312) 353-
9569, respectively. Copies of the petition and all pertinent 
information relating thereto are on file and are part of the 
Administrative Record. It is recommended that you contact the lead 
reviewer prior to reviewing the Administrative record.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    CWM submitted a petition for an exemption from the restrictions on 
land disposal of hazardous wastes on January 19, 1988. Revised 
documents were received on December 4, 1989, and several supplemental 
submittals were subsequently made. The exemption was granted on August 
7, 1990. On September 12, 1994, CWM submitted a petition to modify the 
exemption to include wastes bearing 23 additional RCRA wastes codes. 
Region 5 reviewed documents supporting the request and granted the 
modification of the exemption on May 16, 1995. A notice of the 
modification appeared on June 5, 1995, at 60 FR 29592 et seq. On April 
9, 1996, CWM submitted a petition to again modify the exemption to 
allow 91 additional RCRA waste codes. Region 5 reviewed documents 
supporting the request and granted the modification on the exemption on 
June 24, 1996. A notice of the modification appeared on July 15, 1996, 
at 61 FR 36880 et seq.
    On May 13, 1997, in response to the Land Disposal Restrictions Rule 
published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 25998 et seq. on May 12, 
1997, which set ban dates for a number of hazardous waste codes, CWM 
submitted a request to add a total of 11 additional RCRA waste codes to 
its exemption. Three (3) of these codes (F032, F034 and F035) are 
banned by the May 12, 1997, rule. The remaining eight (8) codes (F020, 
F021, F022, F023, F025, F026, F027 and F028) have been banned since 
1988, but CWM anticipates a future need for their injection. The 
underlying chemicals found in all the codes of interest today were 
already the subject of previous technical consideration during the 
modeling for the originally-issued exemption. The newly-promulgated 
rule bans codes F032, F034 and F035 from deep injection after August 
11, 1997, unless CWM makes a no-migration demonstration. CWM made a no-
migration demonstration in 1990. After careful review of the material 
submitted, the EPA has determined, as required by 40 CFR part 
148.20(f), that there is a reasonable degree of certainty that waste 
streams containing constituents designated by these codes will behave 
hydraulically and chemically like wastes for which CWM was granted its 
original exemption and will not migrate from the injection zone within 
10,000 years. The injection zone is the Mt. Simon Sandstone and the 
Rome, Conasauga, Kerbel, and Knox Formations. The confining zone is 
comprised of the Wells Creek and Black River Formations.
    Effective May 29, 1997, the United States Court of Appeals for the 
District of Columbia Circuit vacated 24 RCRA waste codes that had been 
previously listed. These 24 RCRA waste codes therefore are not banned 
from injection under Federal law as they no longer exist as Federally-
defined RCRA waste codes. Notwithstanding the effect of the Court's 
action at the Federal level, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 
rules governing these 24 RCRA waste codes prohibit injection of these 
coded wastes without a Federal exemption from the Land Disposal 
Restrictions. Hence, the action taken by modifying the exemption issued 
to CWM remains effective for these RCRA waste codes since without the 
inclusion of these codes, CWM would be barred from injecting them under 
State law. CWM's modified exemption therefore contains these 24 RCRA 
waste codes. The effect of this exemption is limited to those wastes 
coded as K160, U277, U366, U375, U376, U377, U378, U379, U381, U382, 
U383, U384, U385, U386, U390, U391, U392, U393, U396, U400, U401, U402, 
U403 and U407, effective the date that these 24 RCRA waste codes were 
originally promulgated. If these particular codes should be re-
promulgated as RCRA wastes, different in chemical character from the 
originally-promulgated RCRA waste codes, the burden will be incumbent 
on CWM to show that the injection of such newly-promulgated RCRA waste 
codes will result in a reasonable degree of certainty that there will 
be no migration from the injection zone within 10,000 years, and a 
modification of CWM's exemption will be required to inject them.
    As a result of this action, CWM may continue to inject the wastes 
bearing the codes:
    F020, F021, F022, F023, F025, F026, F027, F028, F032, F034, and 
F035,

after wastes denoted by these codes are banned from land disposal on 
August 11, 1997. These waste codes are added to the waste codes which 
have been previously exempted and the current total approved listing of 
codes follows.

                                                     List of Approved RCRA Waste Codes for Injection                                                    
D001.....     D043       K015       K071       K142       P030       P078       P190       U031       U076       U120       U162       U208       U366  
D002.....     F001       K016       K073       K143       P031       P081       P191       U032       U077       U121       U163       U209       U367  
D003.....     F002       K017       K083       K144       P033       P082       P192       U033       U078       U122       U164       U210       U372  
D004.....     F003       K018       K084       K145       P034       P084       P194       U034       U079       U123       U165       U211       U373  
D005.....     F004       K019       K085       K147       P036       P085       P196       U035       U080       U124       U166       U213       U375  
D006.....     F005       K020       K086       K148       P037       P087       P197       U036       U081       U125       U167       U214       U376  
D007.....     F006       K021       K087       K149       P038       P088       P198       U037       U082       U126       U168       U215       U377  
D008.....     F007       K022       K088       K150       P039       P089       P199       U038       U083       U127       U169       U216       U378  
D009.....     F008       K023       K093       K151       P040       P092       P201       U039       U084       U128       U170       U217       U379  

[[Page 43111]]

                                                                                                                                                        
D010.....     F009       K024       K094       K156       P041       P093       P202       U041       U085       U129       U171       U218       U381  
D011.....     F010       K025       K095       K157       P042       P094       P203       U042       U086       U130       U172       U219       U382  
D012.....     F011       K026       K096       K158       P043       P095       P204       U043       U087       U131       U173       U220       U383  
D013.....     F012       K027       K097       K159       P044       P096       P205       U044       U088       U132       U174       U221       U384  
D014.....     F019       K028       K098       K160       P045       P097       U001       U045       U089       U133       U176       U222       U385  
D015.....     F020       K029       K099       K161       P046       P098       U002       U046       U090       U134       U177       U223       U386  
D016.....     F021       K030       K100       P001       P047       P099       U003       U047       U091       U135       U178       U225       U387  
D017.....     F022       K031       K101       P002       P048       P101       U004       U048       U092       U136       U179       U226       U389  
D018.....     F023       K032       K102       P003       P049       P102       U005       U049       U093       U137       U180       U227       U390  
D019.....     F024       K033       K103       P004       P050       P103       U006       U050       U094       U138       U181       U228       U391  
D020.....     F025       K034       K104       P005       P051       P104       U007       U051       U095       U139       U182       U234       U392  
D021.....     F026       K035       K105       P006       P054       P105       U008       U052       U096       U140       U183       U235       U393  
D022.....     F027       K036       K106       P007       P056       P106       U009       U053       U097       U141       U184       U236       U394  
D023.....     F028       K037       K107       P008       P057       P108       U010       U055       U098       U142       U185       U237       U395  
D024.....     F032       K038       K108       P009       P058       P109       U011       U056       U099       U143       U186       U238       U396  
D025.....     F034       K039       K109       P010       P059       P110       U012       U057       U101       U144       U187       U239       U400  
D026.....     F035       K040       K110       P011       P060       P111       U014       U058       U102       U145       U188       U240       U401  
D027.....     F037       K041       K111       P012       P062       P112       U015       U059       U103       U146       U189       U243       U402  
D028.....     F038       K042       K112       P013       P063       P113       U016       U060       U105       U147       U190       U244       U403  
D029.....     F039       K043       K113       P014       P064       P114       U017       U061       U106       U148       U191       U246       U404  
D030.....     K001       K044       K114       P015       P065       P115       U018       U062       U107       U149       U192       U247       U407  
D031.....     K002       K045       K115       P016       P066       P116       U019       U063       U108       U150       U193       U248       U408  
D032.....     K003       K046       K116       P017       P067       P118       U020       U064       U109       U151       U194       U249       U409  
D033.....     K004       K047       K117       P018       P068       P119       U021       U066       U110       U152       U196       U271       U410  
D034.....     K005       K048       K118       P020       P069       P120       U022       U067       U111       U153       U197       U277       U411  
D035.....     K006       K049       K123       P021       P070       P121       U023       U068       U112       U154       U200       U278             
D036.....     K007       K050       K124       P022       P071       P122       U024       U069       U113       U155       U201       U279             
D037.....     K008       K051       K125       P023       P072       P123       U025       U070       U114       U156       U202       U280             
D038.....     K009       K052       K126       P024       P073       P127       U026       U071       U115       U157       U203       U328             
D039.....     K010       K060       K131       P026       P074       P128       U027       U072       U116       U158       U204       U353             
D040.....     K011       K561       K132       P027       P075       P185       U028       U073       U117       U159       U205       U359             
D041.....     K013       K062       K136       P028       P076       P188       U029       U074       U118       U160       U206       U364             
D042.....     K014       K069       K141       P029       P077       P189       U030       U075       U119       U161       U207       U365             
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Conditions

    General conditions of this exemption are found at 40 CFR part 148. 
The exemption granted to CWM on August 7, 1990, included a number of 
specific conditions. Conditions numbered (1), (2), (3), (4), and (9) 
remain in force. Monitoring under condition 5, which called for 
construction and operation of a deep monitoring well, will continue 
through the life of the facility. Conditions numbered (5), (6), (7), 
and (8) have been satisfied. The results of the work carried out under 
these conditions confirms that the model used to simulate fluid 
movement within the injection zone for the next 10,000 years is valid 
and results of the simulation bound the region of the injection zone 
within which the waste will be contained.
Rebecca L. Harvey,
Acting Director, Water Division.
[FR Doc. 97-21275 Filed 8-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P