EPA Marks 50 Years of RCRA With 'Common Sense' Reforms to Modernize Waste Rules
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on October 21 announced a package of "Common Sense RCRA Reform" measures to streamline and modernize federal waste regulation through permitting reform, new technology, and faster cleanups, as the agency marks the 50th anniversary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Signed into law in 1976, RCRA is the principal federal law governing solid and hazardous waste, covering hazardous waste from generation and transport through treatment, storage, and disposal.
"This month, the Trump EPA is proud to mark the 50th anniversary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, by refocusing our efforts on ensuring protections for Americans while boosting the economy by streamlining and modernizing regulations," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said. "We're ensuring RCRA is modern, efficient, and protective."
The agency said the reforms are organized around six goals: Reduce permitting burdens to lower the cost of living; Recover critical minerals and other materials from waste streams; Respond with solutions for specialized waste scenarios; Revitalize waste management with innovative technologies; Retain health and environmental protections while supporting growth; and Renew momentum on cleanups. EPA said more than 25 additional actions are in development beyond those already underway.
Steps already taken include a March 5 proposal to move hazardous-waste tracking fully electronic through e-Manifest and end paper reporting, a March 23 proposal to allow scrap tires to be used as fuel to help clear millions of discarded tires nationwide, and a recently finalized variance for an innovative elemental mercury treatment technology. According to EPA, the RCRA permitting system protects 5.3 million residents living within one mile of hazardous waste facilities, covering 6,700 hazardous waste units at 1,300 permitted facilities; the law governs 2.96 billion tons of solid, industrial, and hazardous waste each year, with about 4,000 cleanups underway; some 60,000 facilities generate 30 to 40 million tons of hazardous waste annually. Its underground storage tank program has cleaned up more than 530,000 petroleum releases — over 90 percent of known releases — out of roughly 534,000 underground storage tanks nationwide, and nearly 19 million acres of contaminated land have been restored under RCRA.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国环境保护署署长 Lee Zeldin 官方肖像。照片：美国环境保护署，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, official portrait. Photo: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
