United States     Solid Waste and
          Environmental Protection Emergency Response   EPA530-F-94-035
          Agency        (5305)          November 1994
E PA     Statement of Michael
          Shapiro, Director of the
                 of Solid Waste
          Strategy for Hazardous
          Waste Minimization and
          Combustion

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              STATEMENT OF MICHAEL  SHAPIRO, DIRECTOR
                      OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE

            Strategy  for Hazardous  Waste Minimization
                         And  Combustion
     Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is

announcing its Strategy for Hazardous Waste Minimization and

Combustion.  The Strategy was released in draft eighteen months

ago by Administrator Browner as an effort to focus attention on

one of the Agency's top priorities—pollution prevention—and to

significantly improve and strengthen controls governing hazardous

waste combustion units.  This Strategy represents a major

milestone in the Agency's ongoing commitment to determine, in the

context of our national hazardous waste management program, how

best to integrate source reduction, environmentally sound

recycling, and hazardous waste combustion and how best to assure

the public of safe operation of hazardous waste combustion

facilities. • The Strategy is the culmination of 18 months of

intensive effort by EPA and other interested parties.



     The Strategy sets forth EPA's fundamental goals and basic

vision with respect to several key areas.  First, the Strategy,

in combination with the Hazardous Waste Minimization National

Plan also being released today, discusses the role of waste

minimization in the RCRA hazardous waste management program.

Second, the Strategy addresses the role of combustion.  In

addition, the Strategy presents EPA's views on expanded public

involvement in the RCRA decision-making process, the need for

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 strong  compliance  and  enforcement,  and the  role  of  risk
 assessment  in  the  permitting of hazardous waste  combustion
 facilities.

     I'd  like  to highlight a few of the strategic directions
 which EPA has  developed over the past eighteen months through an
 extensive and  open process to solicit views from all affected
 groups:

 •    EPA  has a strong preference for source reduction over waste
     management and places a particularly high priority on
     reducing the quantities of persistent,  bioaccumulative, and
     toxic hazardous waste constituents.

 •    EPA believes that safe and effective combustion has an
     important role in the management of hazardous waste.
     However, the Agency also believes it should foster
     commercial development and the use of alternative treatment
     and other innovative technologies that  are safe and
     effective.

•    EPA will ensure that combustion and  other treatment
     technologies reduce toxicity,  volume, and/or mobility of
     hazardous  wastes in a manner  that is  protective of  public
     health  and is  preparing  stringent new air emissions
     regulation to  support this  goal.

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•    EPA is committed to enhancing public involvement



     opportunities in the process for considering permit



     applications for combustion facilities and making sure that



     local communities are fully informed about the RCRA



     decision-making process  (including waste minimization



     opportunities).








•    EPA and states will continue comprehensive compliance and



     enforcement efforts against hazardous-waste burning



     facilities while working with industry to ensure that EPA's



     regulations are understood and followed.  We also want to



     enhance public confidence by promoting public understanding



     of these activities and by increasing opportunities for



     public involvement in the enforcement process.








     EPA and other stakeholders share two fundamental priorities:



(1) to foster the maximum amount of source reduction and



environmentally sound recycling for all wastes (not just



combustible waste); and (2)  to ensure that any waste management



practices,  including combustion, are done in a manner that is



fully protective of human health and the environment.








     With regard to our first shared priority,  EPA's waste



minimization approach is presented in detail in our National



Plan.  The National Plan has been subject to public evaluation



since its release in draft form in May 1994.  This Plan creates

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  the  framework  for  the waste minimization  activities under  RCRA
  and  will guide the Agency's efforts to  integrate waste
  minimization into  the other facets of our national waste
  management program.  EPA's goals are to reduce the most
  persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic constituents in
  hazardous waste by 25% nationally by the year 2000, and by 50%
  nationally by the year 2005.  These goals are meant to be'applied
  flexibly, and to complement rather than duplicate or compete with
 existing industry voluntary efforts to reduce waste and state
 pollution prevention programs.

      The National Waste  Minimization  Plan  is organized around
 five  objectives.   First,  to develop a  framework  for setting
 national priorities,  to  develop  a  flexible screening tool for
 identifying priorities at individual facilities, and to  identify
 constituents of concern.   Second, to promote multimedia
 environmental benefits and prevent  cross-media transfers.   Third,
 to demonstrate  a  strong preference  for source reduction, shifting
 attention to the  nation's  hazardous waste generators to reduce
 hazardous waste generation at its source.  Fourth, to clearly
 define and track progress and promote accountability for EPA,
 states, and industry.  And fifth, to involve citizens in waste
minimization implementation decisions.

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      EPA is approaching our second shared priority through multiple related



actions.  First, EPA will develop and promulgate rules that impose more



rigorous controls on combustion facilities based on an assessment of available



technologies and the most current science.  The proposed rule is scheduled for



September 1995, with a final rule scheduled for December 1996.  The intent is



to develop this rule in a coordinated manner under both RCRA and the Clean Air



Act authorities.  EPA will encourage all combustion facilities to implement



the proposed standards to reduce emissions as quickly as possible, and will



itself examine how to implement the final rule in a manner that achieves the



greatest possible iinmediate reduction in dioxin, furan, and metal emissions at



all hazardous waste combustion facilities.







      Another approach is being taken through giving top priority to those



facilities for which a final permit decision would result in the greatest



environmental benefits to the surrounding community or the greatest reduction



in overall risk to the public.  Permit renewals can be included in this hic£i



priority category.  This means that the Agency will maintain its current



policy of lower priority for work on applications involving new, non-



replacement combustion facilities.







      The Strategy also maintains the current policy that a risk assessment,



including indirect exposure pathways, should be performed prior to a final



permit decision.  The Agency will continue availability of Headquarter-



Regional Risk Assessment Review Team in scoping, performing, and/or reviewing




risk assessments.

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      In addition, a group of proactive companies and organizations have come



forward to voluntarily work with us to meet some of our objectives without



regulatory or other mandatory requirements.  One of the efforts that is being



vigorously pursued, both inside and outside EPA, is to test continuous



emission monitors  (CEMs) for toxic organics and metals and to stimulate their



commercial availability and use as scon as possible.  The goal is to have



these CEMs installed at hazardous waste combustion facilities as soon as



possible in a manner that affords public access to the monitoring results.








      As part of ensuring protective management of hazardous wastes, high



priority also is being given to emphasize the public's right-to-know.  By



summer 1995, EPA is scheduled to finalize the rule to enhance general public



involvement opportunities in the process for considering permit applications



for combustion and other RCRA facilities, and to better address limiting



operations at facilities that fail trial burns during interim status.   Also,



with respect to waste minimization activities at generating facilities and at



combustion facilities, EPA will provide enhanced level of information to the




public and stakeholder groups through newsletter and electronic media.  As an



example of this, EPA recently released its 1991 Biennial Report which



identifies those large quantity generators who were required to certify that



they have a waste minimization program in place.  EPA also will explore use of



information outreach programs and technical assistance.

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      Although I have not been able to cover all of the goals or action items



in much detail, it is important that we work with all stakeholders to



integrate these activities and achieve a balance in our implementation of the



Strategy.








      Finally, I want to stress that the completion of this ei^iteen month



waste minimization and combustion policy review, and this issuance of our



Strategy, represents a beginning not an ending.  Most of the hard work of



implementation lies ahead.  Ihe Strategy itself should be viewed as a living



document, which we will periodically reopen based on our experience in



implementation and upon the continued input from the public.

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