In early April, a Florida pond that sits atop phosphogypsum tailings sprung a leak. State authorities scrambled to keep the pond from collapsing and flooding the surrounding area with millions of gallons of contaminated water. This situation likely wasn’t top of mind on February 8, 2021, when a group of environmental protection advocates prepared and submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a petition under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The petition seeks to reverse the EPA’s 1991 “Bevill” regulatory determination excluding phosphogypsum and process wastewater from phosphoric acid production (process wastewater) from hazardous waste regulation under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The timing of the Florida near-catastrophe could not be more ironic.

On March 16, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to add hazardous waste aerosol cans to the category of “universal wastes” regulated under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, codified at Title 40 of the C.F.R., Part 273. 83 Fed. Reg. 11654. According to EPA, this action would benefit the many manufacturing facilities and others that generate and manage large quantities of hazardous waste aerosol cans.

In December 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule prohibiting entities from asserting claims of confidential business information (CBI) for certain documents related to the export, import, and transit of hazardous waste. Manufacturers that have historically relied on assertions of CBI should be aware of this change. 

Prompted by a 2013 Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) report on hazardous waste exports from the United States (CEC, 2013) and changes to the 2001 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Council Decision for waste exports and imports, the United States  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 19, 2015, proposed changes to its regulations under the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regarding the export and import of hazardous wastes from and into the United States (EPA, 2015).  EPA also proposed changes to address and respond to concerns outlined in the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) July 6, 2015, report entitled “EPA Does Not Effectively Control or Monitor Imports of Hazardous Waste” (EPA OIG, 2015).  This article from the Spring, 2016, issue of Environmental Quality Management, summarizes key proposed changes.

In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced proposed changes to its regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regarding the export and import for recovery operations of hazardous wastes from and into the United States.

On August 31, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed an important rule under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) that would ease the standards for healthcare facilities that dispose of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals. The proposal is of interest to all participants in the pharmaceutical value chain, from manufacturers to health care providers to end users. This column explains why.

On Feb. 7, 2014, EPA issued a final rule under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act authorizing the use of electronic hazardous waste manifests. The final rule will have immediate implications for virtually all domestic manufacturers of hazardous waste. This column explains why.

The EPA issued important guidance under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) on the regulatory status of commercial chemical products (CCP). This “Legal Lookout” column explains why the guidance is important, and explains it in more detail.

As one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy’s first official acts, on July 23, 2013, the Administrator signed a final rule easing the requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for solvent-contaminated rags and wipes. The rule has been long in the making and much anticipated.