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Chem Waste Management exemption
I thought folks would be interested in this exemption
for Chem Waste Management to get around the
Land Disposal Ban rules that require hazardous
waste treatment.
Folks in OHIO should be particularly forwarned...
This is an example of EPA circumventing Congressional
intent with the requirement that wastes containing
significant amounts of organic compounds not be
permitted for land disposal without treatment to
destroy those compounds.
When ChemWaste Management can poor them
in a hole in the ground perhaps one can begin
to understand the effects on pollution prevention
and more ligitimate waste treatment....
[Federal Register: August 12, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 155)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 43109-43111]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12au97-16]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 148
[FRL-5873-8]
Final Decision To Grant Chemical Waste Management, Inc. a
Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of
Hazardous Wastes
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
[[Page 43110]]
ACTION: Notice of final decision on a request to modify an exemption
from the hazardous and solid waste amendments of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA or Agency) that modification of an exemption to the land disposal
restrictions under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) has been granted to
Chemical Waste Management, Inc. (CWM) of Oakbrook, Illinois. This
modification allows CWM to inject RCRA-regulated hazardous wastes which
will be banned from land disposal on August 11, 1997, as a result of
regulations promulgated on May 12, 1997. Wastes designated by a total
of 11 additional RCRA waste codes, may continue to be land disposed
through four waste disposal wells at the facility at Vickery, Ohio. As
required by 40 CFR part 148, CWM has demonstrated, to a reasonable
degree of certainty, that there will be no migration of hazardous
constituents from the injection zone utilized by CWM's waste disposal
facility located near Vickery, Ohio, for as long as the newly exempted
waste remains hazardous. This decision constitutes a final Agency
action for which there is no administrative appeal.
DATES: This action is effective as of August 12, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harlan Gerrish or Nathan Wiser, Lead
Petition Reviewers, Region 5, telephone (312) 886-2939 or (312) 353-
9569, respectively. Copies of the petition and all pertinent
information relating thereto are on file and are part of the
Administrative Record. It is recommended that you contact the lead
reviewer prior to reviewing the Administrative record.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
CWM submitted a petition for an exemption from the restrictions on
land disposal of hazardous wastes on January 19, 1988. Revised
documents were received on December 4, 1989, and several supplemental
submittals were subsequently made. The exemption was granted on August
7, 1990. On September 12, 1994, CWM submitted a petition to modify the
exemption to include wastes bearing 23 additional RCRA wastes codes.
Region 5 reviewed documents supporting the request and granted the
modification of the exemption on May 16, 1995. A notice of the
modification appeared on June 5, 1995, at 60 FR 29592 et seq. On April
9, 1996, CWM submitted a petition to again modify the exemption to
allow 91 additional RCRA waste codes. Region 5 reviewed documents
supporting the request and granted the modification on the exemption on
June 24, 1996. A notice of the modification appeared on July 15, 1996,
at 61 FR 36880 et seq.
On May 13, 1997, in response to the Land Disposal Restrictions Rule
published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 25998 et seq. on May 12,
1997, which set ban dates for a number of hazardous waste codes, CWM
submitted a request to add a total of 11 additional RCRA waste codes to
its exemption. Three (3) of these codes (F032, F034 and F035) are
banned by the May 12, 1997, rule. The remaining eight (8) codes (F020,
F021, F022, F023, F025, F026, F027 and F028) have been banned since
1988, but CWM anticipates a future need for their injection. The
underlying chemicals found in all the codes of interest today were
already the subject of previous technical consideration during the
modeling for the originally-issued exemption. The newly-promulgated
rule bans codes F032, F034 and F035 from deep injection after August
11, 1997, unless CWM makes a no-migration demonstration. CWM made a no-
migration demonstration in 1990. After careful review of the material
submitted, the EPA has determined, as required by 40 CFR part
148.20(f), that there is a reasonable degree of certainty that waste
streams containing constituents designated by these codes will behave
hydraulically and chemically like wastes for which CWM was granted its
original exemption and will not migrate from the injection zone within
10,000 years. The injection zone is the Mt. Simon Sandstone and the
Rome, Conasauga, Kerbel, and Knox Formations. The confining zone is
comprised of the Wells Creek and Black River Formations.
Effective May 29, 1997, the United States Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit vacated 24 RCRA waste codes that had been
previously listed. These 24 RCRA waste codes therefore are not banned
from injection under Federal law as they no longer exist as Federally-
defined RCRA waste codes. Notwithstanding the effect of the Court's
action at the Federal level, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
rules governing these 24 RCRA waste codes prohibit injection of these
coded wastes without a Federal exemption from the Land Disposal
Restrictions. Hence, the action taken by modifying the exemption issued
to CWM remains effective for these RCRA waste codes since without the
inclusion of these codes, CWM would be barred from injecting them under
State law. CWM's modified exemption therefore contains these 24 RCRA
waste codes. The effect of this exemption is limited to those wastes
coded as K160, U277, U366, U375, U376, U377, U378, U379, U381, U382,
U383, U384, U385, U386, U390, U391, U392, U393, U396, U400, U401, U402,
U403 and U407, effective the date that these 24 RCRA waste codes were
originally promulgated. If these particular codes should be re-
promulgated as RCRA wastes, different in chemical character from the
originally-promulgated RCRA waste codes, the burden will be incumbent
on CWM to show that the injection of such newly-promulgated RCRA waste
codes will result in a reasonable degree of certainty that there will
be no migration from the injection zone within 10,000 years, and a
modification of CWM's exemption will be required to inject them.
As a result of this action, CWM may continue to inject the wastes
bearing the codes:
F020, F021, F022, F023, F025, F026, F027, F028, F032, F034, and
F035,
after wastes denoted by these codes are banned from land disposal on
August 11, 1997. These waste codes are added to the waste codes which
have been previously exempted and the current total approved listing of
codes follows.
List of Approved RCRA
Waste Codes for Injection
D001..... D043 K015 K071 K142 P030 P078
P190 U031 U076 U120 U162 U208 U366
D002..... F001 K016 K073 K143 P031 P081
P191 U032 U077 U121 U163 U209 U367
D003..... F002 K017 K083 K144 P033 P082
P192 U033 U078 U122 U164 U210 U372
D004..... F003 K018 K084 K145 P034 P084
P194 U034 U079 U123 U165 U211 U373
D005..... F004 K019 K085 K147 P036 P085
P196 U035 U080 U124 U166 U213 U375
D006..... F005 K020 K086 K148 P037 P087
P197 U036 U081 U125 U167 U214 U376
D007..... F006 K021 K087 K149 P038 P088
P198 U037 U082 U126 U168 U215 U377
D008..... F007 K022 K088 K150 P039 P089
P199 U038 U083 U127 U169 U216 U378
D009..... F008 K023 K093 K151 P040 P092
P201 U039 U084 U128 U170 U217 U379
[[Page 43111]]
D010..... F009 K024 K094 K156 P041 P093
P202 U041 U085 U129 U171 U218 U381
D011..... F010 K025 K095 K157 P042 P094
P203 U042 U086 U130 U172 U219 U382
D012..... F011 K026 K096 K158 P043 P095
P204 U043 U087 U131 U173 U220 U383
D013..... F012 K027 K097 K159 P044 P096
P205 U044 U088 U132 U174 U221 U384
D014..... F019 K028 K098 K160 P045 P097
U001 U045 U089 U133 U176 U222 U385
D015..... F020 K029 K099 K161 P046 P098
U002 U046 U090 U134 U177 U223 U386
D016..... F021 K030 K100 P001 P047 P099
U003 U047 U091 U135 U178 U225 U387
D017..... F022 K031 K101 P002 P048 P101
U004 U048 U092 U136 U179 U226 U389
D018..... F023 K032 K102 P003 P049 P102
U005 U049 U093 U137 U180 U227 U390
D019..... F024 K033 K103 P004 P050 P103
U006 U050 U094 U138 U181 U228 U391
D020..... F025 K034 K104 P005 P051 P104
U007 U051 U095 U139 U182 U234 U392
D021..... F026 K035 K105 P006 P054 P105
U008 U052 U096 U140 U183 U235 U393
D022..... F027 K036 K106 P007 P056 P106
U009 U053 U097 U141 U184 U236 U394
D023..... F028 K037 K107 P008 P057 P108
U010 U055 U098 U142 U185 U237 U395
D024..... F032 K038 K108 P009 P058 P109
U011 U056 U099 U143 U186 U238 U396
D025..... F034 K039 K109 P010 P059 P110
U012 U057 U101 U144 U187 U239 U400
D026..... F035 K040 K110 P011 P060 P111
U014 U058 U102 U145 U188 U240 U401
D027..... F037 K041 K111 P012 P062 P112
U015 U059 U103 U146 U189 U243 U402
D028..... F038 K042 K112 P013 P063 P113
U016 U060 U105 U147 U190 U244 U403
D029..... F039 K043 K113 P014 P064 P114
U017 U061 U106 U148 U191 U246 U404
D030..... K001 K044 K114 P015 P065 P115
U018 U062 U107 U149 U192 U247 U407
D031..... K002 K045 K115 P016 P066 P116
U019 U063 U108 U150 U193 U248 U408
D032..... K003 K046 K116 P017 P067 P118
U020 U064 U109 U151 U194 U249 U409
D033..... K004 K047 K117 P018 P068 P119
U021 U066 U110 U152 U196 U271 U410
D034..... K005 K048 K118 P020 P069 P120
U022 U067 U111 U153 U197 U277 U411
D035..... K006 K049 K123 P021 P070 P121
U023 U068 U112 U154 U200 U278
D036..... K007 K050 K124 P022 P071 P122
U024 U069 U113 U155 U201 U279
D037..... K008 K051 K125 P023 P072 P123
U025 U070 U114 U156 U202 U280
D038..... K009 K052 K126 P024 P073 P127
U026 U071 U115 U157 U203 U328
D039..... K010 K060 K131 P026 P074 P128
U027 U072 U116 U158 U204 U353
D040..... K011 K561 K132 P027 P075 P185
U028 U073 U117 U159 U205 U359
D041..... K013 K062 K136 P028 P076 P188
U029 U074 U118 U160 U206 U364
D042..... K014 K069 K141 P029 P077 P189
U030 U075 U119 U161 U207 U365
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Conditions
General conditions of this exemption are found at 40 CFR part 148.
The exemption granted to CWM on August 7, 1990, included a number of
specific conditions. Conditions numbered (1), (2), (3), (4), and (9)
remain in force. Monitoring under condition 5, which called for
construction and operation of a deep monitoring well, will continue
through the life of the facility. Conditions numbered (5), (6), (7),
and (8) have been satisfied. The results of the work carried out under
these conditions confirms that the model used to simulate fluid
movement within the injection zone for the next 10,000 years is valid
and results of the simulation bound the region of the injection zone
within which the waste will be contained.
Rebecca L. Harvey,
Acting Director, Water Division.
[FR Doc. 97-21275 Filed 8-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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Alex J. Sagady & Associates Email: asagady@sojourn.com
Environmental Consulting and Database Systems
PO Box 39 East Lansing, MI 48826-0039
(517) 332-6971 (voice); (517) 332-8987 (fax)