[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28173-28175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13197]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6349-5]
Announcement of Public Meeting on the Development of New Waste
Leaching Procedures under the RCRA Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will hold
a public meeting during July 22 through 23, 1999, on our ongoing
reviews of the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), and
the development of revisions or supplements to the TCLP or new waste
leaching procedures under the RCRA Program. The purpose of the meeting
is to discuss current and alternative approaches to waste leachate
characterization testing and use of leach testing data, and to solicit
public input on this topic. Both scientific and policy aspects of leach
testing will be addressed. The meeting is open to the public on a space
available basis. In order to best accommodate interested parties, we
are offering pre-registration. The topics of the meeting agenda will be
presented and discussed by invited speakers. However, we will provide
ample time for accommodate questions or comments by public attendees
during the meeting. We have also opened a public docket to accept
written comments up to 60 days after the date of the meeting. Meeting
dates and times are provided below under Dates. All times noted are
Eastern Daylight Time.
DATES: We will hold the public meeting on waste leaching procedures on
July 22 through July 23, 1999. On July 22, the meeting will begin at
8:00 a.m. and adjourn at 5:00 p.m. On July 23, the meeting will begin
at 8:00 a.m. and adjourn at 3:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: We will hold the public meeting at the Crystal Gateway
Marriott Hotel, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia
22202. To reserve a guest room, call the hotel at (703) 920-3230 or
(800) 228-9290 by June 30, 1999. In order to get a special rate of $115
plus tax per night, state that you will be attending the public meeting
on leaching. A limited number of rooms are available at this rate, and
they are offered on a first-call basis. The hotel fax number is (703)
271-5212.
Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting may register by
filling in and faxing the registration form to the attention of Lisa
Enderle, SAIC, at (703) 698-6101; or mailing the form to Lisa Enderle,
SAIC, 2222 Gallows Road, Suite 300, Dunn Loring, VA 22027. A copy of
the form is available below under Supplementary Information. Soon after
publication of this notice you may also register via the Internet site
of the Methods Team, U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste. The Methods Team
Internet site address is: http://www.epa.gov/SW-846.
Submit an original and two copies of written comments, referencing
docket number F-1999-WLPA-FFFFF to: The RCRA Docket Information Center,
Office of Solid Waste (5305G), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Headquarters (EPA, HQ), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. You may
hand deliver comments to the Arlington, VA, address listed below. You
may also submit comments electronically to: rcra-
[email protected]. Please also identify comments in electronic
format
[[Page 28174]]
by the docket number F-1999-WLPA-FFFFF. Submit all electronic comments
as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form
of encryption. We will also accept electronic comments in WordPerfect
6/7/8.0.
You should not submit electronically any confidential business
information (CBI). An original and two copies of CBI must be submitted
under separate cover to: RCRA CBI Document Control Officer, Office of
Solid Waste (5305W), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.
You may claim comment information as confidential by marking any part
or all of the information as CBI. All comments which contain
information claimed as CBI must be clearly marked as such. The CBI
claim must be made at the time of submission to EPA. We will not
disclose information marked CBI except in accordance with procedures
set forth in 40 CFR part 2. You should also submit an edited copy of
the comment that does not contain the CBI material. We will include any
information not marked confidential in the public docket.
You can view public comments and any supporting material at the
RCRA Information Center (RIC), located at Crystal Gateway I, First
Floor, 1235 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. The RIC is open
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding federal
holidays. To review docket materials, we recommend that you make an
appointment by calling (703) 603-9230. You may copy a maximum of 100
pages from any regulatory docket at no charge. Additional copies cost
$0.15/page.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Meeting arrangements are being handled
by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) of McLean, VA.
For information on registration, hotel rates, transportation, and
registration, please contact the SAIC coordinator, Lisa Enderle, by e-
mail at [email protected] or via the SAIC conference
information line at (703) 645-6946. You may also obtain logistical
information regarding the meeting by sending an e-mail to:
[email protected]. If you have technical questions regarding the
meeting agenda and topics, please contact the EPA coordinator, Gail
Hansen, Office of Solid Waste (5307W), U. S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460, (703) 308-8855, e-mail
address [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Why Is EPA Holding This Public Meeting?
The laboratory leaching of wastes can be a valuable tool for making
waste management decisions under the RCRA Program. In particular, such
procedures can be used to predict the leaching potential of
constituents of concern into the Nation's valuable ground water
resources. For example, we have relied on leaching procedures for the
classification of a waste as hazardous based on the characteristic of
toxicity. For this and other regulatory purposes under RCRA, we have
used the Extraction Procedure (EP), SW-846 Method 1310, and the
Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), SW-846 Method 1311.
These leaching procedures model the release of contaminants into the
ground water from the co-disposal of municipal and industrial wastes at
a landfill for non-hazardous solid wastes under a specified set of
conditions.
Leaching tests and resulting data can also serve as the source
terms for, or inputs to, subsurface (groundwater) fate and transport
modeling. This type of modeling is key to the risk assessments upon
which many waste remediation management decisions (such as listing and
de-listing) are based. The results are also the basis for assessing the
effectiveness of waste stabilization processes and for assessing the
long term impact of treatment residues on the groundwater environment.
Current EPA leaching test methods (e.g., the EP and the TCLP) were
scientifically validated for limited applications (i.e., hazardous
waste characterization and the prohibition against placing hazardous
waste on the land without prior treatment, or ``land ban'') they have
also not been validated for site-specific conditions. In addition, even
for the waste characterization and land ban applications, the current
test procedures can be improved. We believe new leach testing protocols
will offer better tools for estimating the leaching potential of
different wastes more accurately under a range of different management
conditions. We initiated a review of current leach testing last year
(Land Disposal Restrictions Phase IV Final Rule, 63FR28579) because of
concerns about applying the TCLP under certain conditions. Also, we
recently received a commentary letter from our Science Advisory Board,
SAB, (http://www.epa.gov/science1/eecm9902.pdf) urging reviews and
revisions of the TCLP and its use in implementing RCRA programs.
Therefore, as part of this review, we are holding a public meeting
to initiate broad discussion regarding the development of new revised
waste leaching procedures under the RCRA Program. We hope to obtain
public input on all aspects of waste leaching, including the science
relevant to waste leaching, approaches to leach testing, and policy
considerations in leaching test development and use in regulatory
programs and other scenarios.
II. What Will Be Presented at the Public Meeting?
The current agenda of presentations for the public meeting on
development of new laboratory waste leaching procedures follows. As
indicated in the agenda, an opportunity for public comment attendee
discussion and questions will occur after each presentation. In
addition, Session V (the last session on Friday) will include an
opportunity for a discussion of public perspectives and other comments.
This agenda, and any subsequent revisions, may also be found on the
Internet site of the Methods Team, U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste, soon
after publication of this notice. The Methods Team Internet site
address is: http://www.epa.gov/SW-846.
Agenda For EPA Public Meeting on Development of New Waste Leaching
Procedures
Session I--Introduction and Overview
Thursday, July 22; 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
8:00 a.m.-8:20 a.m. Organization of Meeting, Overview of Problem,
Importance of this Meeting, Where OSW Is Going with this Effort
8:20 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Discussion/Questions
8:30 a.m.-8:50 a.m. Original Purpose of EPA/TCLP
8:50 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Discussion/Questions
9:00 a.m.-9:20 a.m. Science Advisory Board (SAB) Commentary
9:20 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Discussion/Questions
9:30 a.m.-9:50 a.m. Stakeholder Perspectives on Leaching Problem
9:50 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Discussion/Questions
10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Break
Session II--Modeling and Risk Assessment
Thursday, July 22; 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
10:30 a.m.-10:50 a.m. Role Leachate Testing and Data Serves in Risk
Assessment Process
10:50 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Discussion/Questions
11:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. Modeling Overview
[[Page 28175]]
11:20 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Discussion/Questions
11:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m. Modeling Issues and Problems
11:50 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
LUNCH
Session III--Leaching Science
Thursday, July 22; 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
1:30 p.m.-1:50 p.m. Inorganic Leaching Science
1:50 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. International Perspective of Leaching Science
2:20 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Discussion/Questions
2:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m. Organic Leaching Science
2:50 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. BREAK
3:30 p.m.-3:50 p.m. Overview of Current Testing Approaches
3:50 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
4:00 p.m.-4:20 p.m. Overview of California EPA Approach
4:20 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Discussion/Questions
4:30 p.m.-4:50 p.m. Overview of Rutgers Research Supported by EPA
4:50 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
Session IV--Leaching Policy and Applications
Friday, July 23: 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Test Design and Implications: Waste
Characterization
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Discussion/Questions
10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. BREAK
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Test Design and Implications: Site
Characterization
11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Discussion/Questions
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. LUNCH
Session V--Leaching Policy and Applications and Wrap-Up
Friday, July 23; 1:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Test Design and Implications: Treatment
Effectiveness
2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Discussion/Questions
2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Summary of Meeting Results
3:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Next Steps
III. How Should I Submit Comments on the Topics of the Public
Meeting?
We established a public docket under docket control number F-1999-
WLPA-FFFFF for the submission of comments. We will accept comments in
written or electronic format at the addresses indicated above under
Addresses. Please submit comments to those addresses before the meeting
so that panel speakers have time to review and consider the
information.
We welcome your views on all aspects of the meeting's topic. For
example, we invite you to provide different views on waste
characterization by leaching procedures, new or alternative leaching
methods, current leaching methods used within the RCRA Program,
potential effects of the development and implementation of new leaching
procedures, and any other relevant information.
IV. Special Accommodations
If you require special accommodations at this meeting, including
wheelchair access, please contact Lisa Enderle of SAIC at the address
listed above under Addresses. Please contact Ms. Enderle at least five
business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can
be made.
V. Registration Form
To register for the public meeting on the development of new waste
leaching procedures, please complete the attached registration form and
send it to Lisa Enderle via fax at: (703) 698-6101 or by mail to: Lisa
Enderle, SAIC, 2222 Gallows Road, Suite 300, Dunn Loring, VA 22027. (As
with any public meeting, there is no charge for attendance.)
Registration Form for EPA Public Meeting on the Development of New
Waste Leaching Procedures
Send completed form to Lisa Enderle via fax at: (703) 698-6101 or
by mail to: Lisa Enderle, SAIC, 2222 Gallows Road, Suite 300, Dunn
Loring, VA 22027.
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Dated: May 11, 1999.
James R. Berlow,
Acting Director, Office of Solid Waste.
[FR Doc. 99-13197 Filed 5-24-99; 8:45 am]
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