United States             Solid Waste and
                     Environmental Protection       Emergency Response          EPA530-F-93-014
                     Agency                 (OS-305)                  August 1993

                     Office of Solid Waste
&EPA         Environmental
                     Fact Sheet
                     Large-volume Wastes from
                     Coal-fired Electric Utilities
                     Exempt as Hazardous Waste

                  7?7e Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that
                large-volume wastes from coal-fired electric utilities pose minimal risks to
                human health and the environment. Therefore, it is unnecessary to
                manage these wastes as hazardous. The Agency believes that industry
                and the states should continue to review appropriate management
                methods for these wastes.

        Background
          In a 1988 Report to Congress, EPA recommended that four large-
        volume wastes from coal-fired electric utilities—fly ash, bottom ash,
        boiler slag, and flue gas desulfiirization waste—continue to be exempt
        from regulation as hazardous under Subtitle C of the Resource
        Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Report also indicated that
        the Agency intended to study the "remaining" wastes from coal-fired
        utilities, noncoal-fired utilities, and nonutility boilers burning any type
        of fossil fuels. Although the Agency recommended exemption for the
        large-volume wastes in its Report to Congress, EPA did not make a
        final regulatory determination on them.
          Subsequently, the Agency collected data and information to
        supplement the 1988 Report to Congress. In February 1993, the
        Agency presented the new data and solicited public comment for
        purposes of finalizing the regulatory status of large-volume wastes from
        the combustion of coal by electric utilities.

        Action
          This rule continues to exempt four large-volume, fossil fuel
        combustion wastes from regulation as hazardous waste. Fly ash,
        bottom ash, boiler slag, and flue gas desulfurization wastes generated
        from coal-fired utilities pose minimal risks to human health and the
        environment. EPA recommends that any potential problems associated
        with the management of these wastes be addressed on a site-specific

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basis. These waste streams also will be considered for inclusion in the
Agency's continuing assessment of industrial solid waste under RCRA,
Subtitle D.

Contact
    For additional information or to order a copy of the Federal Register
notice, contact the RCRA Hotline, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30
p.m. EST. The national, toll-free number is (800) 424-9346; TDD (800)
553-7672 (hearing impaired); in Washington, D.C., the number is (703)
412-9810, TDD (703) 412-3323.
    Copies of documents relevant to this rule may be obtained by writ-
ing: RCRA Information Center (RIC), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Solid Waste (OS-305), 401 M Street SW, Washington,
D.C. 20460.

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