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PA EPA PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE POST-CLOSURE PERMIT REQUIREM

Release Date: 11/29/94
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PA EPA PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE POST-CLOSURE PERMIT REQUIREM

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1994

EPA PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE POST-CLOSURE PERMIT REQUIREMENT

EPA recently proposed changes to the post-closure care regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for facilities with land disposal units such as landfills and surface impoundments. About 1,000 land disposal facilities in the United States are closed or closing and are required, under current law, to obtain post-closure permits. To allow regulatory agencies to use the most effective method available to address these facilities, EPA has proposed to eliminate the permit requirement for post-closure facilities. Instead, EPA has proposed a rule that would allow the regulatory agency (EPA or the authorized state) to select from a variety of legal authorities, including the post-closure permit, to impose post-closure requirements. This proposed change would give EPA and the states greater flexibility in setting cleanup priorities at RCRA facilities. EPA also proposed to expand states' authorized programs to include corrective action authority for interim status facilities. EPA is seeking comment on: whether to remove the regulatory timeframes in the closure process; whether closed or closing land disposal units should be addressed through RCRA corrective action process rather than under technical standards for landfills; and on whether to authorize states to address corrective action at permitted facilities using a non-permit mechanism. The 60- day comment period closes on Jan. 9, 1995. For more information about the proposed rule contact Barbara Foster at 703-308-7057 (issues related to closure or post-closure care) or Ellen Kandell at 703-603-8996 (issues related to enforcement).

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