[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: [email protected]. 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]
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