Not later than eighteen months after October 21, 1976, the Administrator shall, after notice and opportunity for public hearing, and after consultation with appropriate Federal and State agencies, develop and promulgate criteria for identifying the characteristics of hazardous waste, and for listing hazardous waste, which should be subject to the provisions of this subchapter, taking into account toxicity, persistence, and degradability in nature, potential for accumulation in tissue, and other related factors such as flammability, corrosiveness, and other hazardous characteristics. Such criteria shall be revised from time to time as may be appropriate.
At any time after the date eighteen months after October 21, 1976, the Governor of any State may petition the Administrator to identify or list a material as a hazardous waste. The Administrator shall act upon such petition within ninety days following his receipt thereof and shall notify the Governor of such action. If the Administrator denies such petition because of financial considerations, in providing such notice to the Governor he shall include a statement concerning such considerations.
If subparagraph (B) is not applicable, in lieu of the description referred to in such subparagraph (B), the form shall contain the Environmental Protection Agency identification number, or a generic description of the waste, or a description of the waste by hazardous waste characteristic. Additional requirements related to the manifest form shall apply only if determined necessary by the Administrator to protect human health and the environment.
Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as a determination of the standards appropriate under paragraph (1).
Not later than twenty-eight months after November 8, 1984, the Administrator shall examine the deficiencies of the extraction procedure toxicity characteristic as a predictor of the leaching potential of wastes and make changes in the extraction procedure toxicity characteristic, including changes in the leaching media, as are necessary to insure that it accurately predicts the leaching potential of wastes which pose a threat to human health and the environment when mismanaged.
Not later than two years after November 8, 1984, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations under this section identifying additional characteristics of hazardous waste, including measures or indicators of toxicity.
A resource recovery facility recovering energy from the mass burning of municipal solid waste shall not be deemed to be treating, storing, disposing of, or otherwise managing hazardous wastes for the purposes of regulation under this subchapter, if-
Not later than every 24 months, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report setting forth information collected by the Administrator from law enforcement agencies, States, and other relevant stakeholders that identifies the byproducts of the methamphetamine production process and whether the Administrator considers each of the byproducts to be a hazardous waste pursuant to this section and relevant regulations.
1So in original. Probably should be "teratogens)".
42 U.S.C. § 6921
EDITORIAL NOTES
CODIFICATIONIn subsec. (d)(7)(A), "chapter 51 of title 49" substituted for "the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act [49 App. U.S.C. 1801 et seq.]" on authority of Pub. L. 103-272, §6(b), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1378, the first section of which enacted subtitles II, III, and V to X of Title 49, Transportation.
AMENDMENTS2006-Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 109-177 added subsec. (j). 1996-Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 104-119 made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to this section.1984-Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 98-616, §222(b), inserted at end "The Administrator, in cooperation with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the National Toxicology Program, shall also identify or list those hazardous wastes which shall be subject to the provisions of this subchapter solely because of the presence in such wastes of certain constituents (such as identified carcinogens, mutagens, or teratagens) [sic] at levels in excess of levels which endanger human health."Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 98-616, §221(a), added subsec. (d).Subsecs. (e) to (h). Pub. L. 98-616, §222(a), added subsecs. (e) to (h).Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 98-616, §223(a), added subsec. (i). 1980-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96-482 designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added pars. (2) and (3).
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
REGULATIONPub. L. 99-499, title I, §124(b), Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1689, provided that: "Unless the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency promulgates regulations under subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act [42 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.] addressing the extraction of wastes from landfills as part of the process of recovering methane from such landfills, the owner and operator of equipment used to recover methane from a landfill shall not be deemed to be managing, generating, transporting, treating, storing, or disposing of hazardous or liquid wastes within the meaning of that subtitle. If the aqueous or hydrocarbon phase of the condensate or any other waste material removed from the gas recovered from the landfill meets any of the characteristics identified under section 3001 of subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act [42 U.S.C. 6921], the preceding sentence shall not apply and such condensate phase or other waste material shall be deemed a hazardous waste under that subtitle, and shall be regulated accordingly."
ASH MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL Pub. L. 101-549, title III, §306, Nov. 15, 1990, 104 Stat. 2584, provided that for 2 years after Nov. 15, 1990, ash from solid waste incineration units burning municipal waste would not be regulated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to this section.
SMALL QUANTITY GENERATOR WASTE; INFORM AND EDUCATE; WASTE GENERATORSPub. L. 98-616, title II, §221(b), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3249, directed Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency to undertake activities to inform and educate waste generators of their responsibilities under subsec. (d) of this section during the period within thirty months after Nov. 8, 1984, to help assure compliance.
STUDY OF EXISTING MANIFEST SYSTEM FOR HAZARDOUS WASTES AS APPLICABLE TO SMALL QUANTITY GENERATORS; SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS Pub. L. 98-616, title II, §221(d), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3250, directed Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency to cause to be studied the existing manifest system for hazardous wastes as it applies to small quantity generators and recommend whether the current system should be retained or whether a new system should be introduced, such study to include an analysis of the cost versus the benefits of the system studied as well as an analysis of the ease of retrieving and collating information and identifying a given substance, with any new proposal to include a list of those standards that are necessary to protect human health and the environment, and with such study to be submitted to Congress not later than Apr. 1, 1987.
ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS; SMALL QUANTITY GENERATORS; RETENTION OF CURRENT SYSTEM; REPORT TO CONGRESSPub. L. 98-616, title II, §221(e), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3250, directed Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with Secretary of Transportation, to prepare and submit to Congress, not later than Apr. 1, 1987, a report on the feasibility of easing the administrative burden on small quantity generators, increasing compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, and simplifying enforcement efforts through a program of licensing hazardous waste transporters to assume the responsibilities of small quantity generators relating to preparation of manifests and associated recordkeeping and reporting requirements, such report to examine the appropriate licensing requirements under such a program including the need for financial assurances by licensed transporters and to make recommendations on provisions and requirements for such a program including the appropriate division of responsibilities between Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Administration.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS; ACCUMULATION, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF HAZARDOUS WASTES; STUDY Pub. L. 98-616, title II, §221(f), Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3250, as amended by Pub. L. 107-110, title X, §1076(aa), Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 2093, directed Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with Secretary of Education, the States, and appropriate educational associations, to conduct a comprehensive study of problems associated with accumulation, storage, and disposal of hazardous wastes from educational institutions, such study to include an investigation of feasibility and availability of environmentally sound methods for treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste from such institutions, taking into account the types and quantities of such waste which are generated by these institutions, and the nonprofit nature of these institutions, and directed Administrator to submit a report to Congress containing the findings of the study not later than Apr. 1, 1987.
EXECUTIVE DOCUMENTS
TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONSFor transfer of certain enforcement functions of Administrator or other official of Environmental Protection Agency under this chapter to Federal Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, and subsequent transfer to Secretary of Energy, then to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects, see note set out under section 6903 of this title.
- Administrator
- The term "Administrator" means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.1See References in Text note below.
- State
- The term "State" means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
- disposal
- The term "disposal" means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any solid waste or hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such solid waste or hazardous waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters.
- hazardous waste
- The term "hazardous waste" means a solid waste, or combination of solid wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may-(A) cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or(B) pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed.
- manifest
- The term "manifest" means the form used for identifying the quantity, composition, and the origin, routing, and destination of hazardous waste during its transportation from the point of generation to the point of disposal, treatment, or storage.
- owner
- The term "owner" means, with respect to federally assisted housing, the entity or private person, including a cooperative or public housing agency, that has the legal right to lease or sublease dwelling units in such housing.
- person
- The term "person" means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation (including a government corporation), partnership, association, State, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a State, or any interstate body and shall include each department, agency, and instrumentality of the United States.
- resource recovery facility
- The term "resource recovery facility" means any facility at which solid waste is processed for the purpose of extracting, converting to energy, or otherwise separating and preparing solid waste for reuse.
- solid waste
- The term "solid waste" means any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, and from community activities, but does not include solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under section 1342 of title 33, or source, special nuclear, or byproduct material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (68 Stat. 923) [42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.].