    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [March 26, 1996]
    [Page 510]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996
    March 26, 1996

        Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 2036, the ``Land Disposal
    Program Flexibility Act of 1996,'' which brings needed reforms to the
    Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA).
        This Act would eliminate a statutory mandate that requires the
    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate stringent and costly
    treatment requirements for certain low-risk wastes that already are
    regulated under the Clean Water Act or Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA
    considers these wastes to present little or no risk, due to existing
    regulation under State and Federal law.
        The Act requires EPA to conduct a study to determine whether,
    following elimination of this mandate, there will be any risks that
    might not be addressed by State or other Federal laws. It also preserves
    EPA's authority to impose any additional controls that are needed to
    protect public health and the environment. In addition, H.R. 2036
    reforms certain municipal landfill ground water monitoring requirements
    under current law, thereby easing burdens on local governments.
        The Administration's support for H.R. 2036 originated in its
    initiative for Reinventing Environmental Regulation, as announced on
    March 16, 1995. As part of that initiative, I made a commitment to
    support commonsense reforms to the SWDA--if those reforms could be
    developed through a bipartisan process. This Act addresses one of the
    most important issues that the Administration identified in our
    initiative. Once implemented by EPA, it will eliminate an unnecessary
    and duplicative layer of costly regulation, yielding tens of millions of
    dollars in savings to private industry.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    March 26, 1996.

    Note: H.R. 2036, approved March 26, was assigned Public Law No. 104-119.
    This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    March 27.