Laws and Regulations: Solid & Hazardous WasteFederal statutes (laws), Executive Orders, and regulations concerned with water quality. Follow the links below to learn about Federal statutes (laws), Executive Orders, and regulations that may apply to specific activities associated with energy development that may impact solid and hazardous waste. Legislation, commonly referred to as Superfund, created to protect the public from heavily contaminated abandoned sites. CERCLA (42 USC 9601 et seq.), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, provides broad authority to the federal government to ensure that contaminated sites that might pose a risk to the public or environment are cleaned up. It also established a fund to assist in paying for cleanup actions at sites where the responsible party either is unable to pay for the cleanup or cannot be found. The full suite of regulations promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is available at 40 CFR 305-307. Legislation establishing standards for reducing the amount of pollution generated through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use. The PPA, (42 USC 13101 et seq.), required the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a strategy to promote source reduction. Ultimately, the EPA identified several tiers for waste management: pollution prevention is the highest tier, followed by recycling, treatment, and disposal in that order. However, the agency never issued specific regulations. Legislation governing the proper management of waste. RCRA (42 USC 6901 et seq.) was enacted in 1976 and amended the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. RCRA itself was amended by the Hazardous and Solid Wastes Amendment Act of 1984. The full suite of RCRA regulations promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is available at 40 CFR 239-282. |
