Hazardous Waste: EPA Has Made Limited Progress in Determining the Wastes To Be Regulated
RCED-87-27
Published: Dec 23, 1986. Publicly Released: Jan 20, 1987.
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Highlights
In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to: (1) determine which wastes are hazardous; and (2) produce a biennial report on the types and amounts of hazardous wastes the United States generates, treats, stores, and disposes of nationwide.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | To improve EPA progress in identifying hazardous wastes, the Administrator, EPA, should develop a plan laying out what actions will be necessary to identify the universe of wastes needing control. Such a plan should contain, as a minimum, the additional waste characteristics that need to be developed and the industry waste streams that need to be evaluated, milestones to accomplish these tasks, needed resources, and organizational responsibilities for completing these actions. |
Closed – Implemented
EPA stated that it will not develop a plan, however, through litigation with the Environmental Defense Fund, EPA has a proposed agreement to complete final listing determinations on 14 potentially hazardous wastes between July 1992 and September 1998. Litigation between the two continues on whether EPA has fulfilled its statutory requirement to identify additional waste characteristics.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | For the remaining mandated studies or portions of studies yet to be completed, the Administrator, EPA, should develop study plans that include the information requirements the study is to address, milestones for completing the various stages of study, resource needs, and organizational responsibilities. |
Closed – Implemented
Except for one study that has not yet been initiated, the recommended study plans have been programmed. The study not yet begun is not a priority and no date has been set for beginning it.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator, EPA, should determine which wastes have been granted final delistings by states and what criteria were applied to those delistings; assess the potential environmental or health impact of those delistings; and, where appropriate, initiate action to apply the new delisting criteria. |
Closed – Implemented
EPA recommended to states, in a December 1987 memo to regions and states, that they reexamine state-granted delisting using new EPA delisting criteria. States where EPA spot-checked have done reevaluations. EPA has reviewed the one final state delisting, but has no formal mechanism to track future final delistings.
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| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator, EPA, should ensure that: (1) future state-delegated delisting activities are monitored and that information is collected that will allow EPA to identify facilities and wastes delisted; and (2) the review criteria applied are at least as stringent as those set by EPA and are applied consistently. |
Closed – Implemented
EPA has no monitoring mechanism in place, but there is currently only one state final delisting. EPA has provided the federal criteria to the three states that now have delisting authority.
|
| Environmental Protection Agency | The Administrator, EPA, should increase the number of site visits or implement other controls to ensure that EPA has complete and accurate information when evaluating delisting petitions. |
Closed – Implemented
EPA has instituted rigorous quality control for data submitted by delisting petitioners and required petitioners to use standardized EPA test methods. EPA intends to implement a good spot-check program when funds are available.
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Topics
state relationsHazardous substancesPollution controlPollution monitoringRegulationRegulatory agenciesReporting requirementsWaste managementHazardous wastesCommerce