United States , Solid Waste and
Environmental Protection Emergency Resonse EPA530-F-95-P23
Agency (5305W) November 1995
Office of Solid Waste
Environ
Fact Sheet
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY WILL LISTTHREE
OFTHE 14 RESIDUALS FROM
PETROLEUM REFININC3 PROCESSES
. Proposal to update'the hazardousf waste characteristic ofignitability under
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and to lisfJhree of
the 14 residuals from petroleum refining processes. This action also
, proposes to designate the wastes proposed for listing as hazardous
1 substances subject to the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
V Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and to adjust the one-pound
statutory reportabie quantities (RQs) for these substances. The proposed
rule'also, modifies'thedefinitionof solidwasteswith respect to oil bearing
materialsthatare> reinserted'intothe refining process. , • .
Background /
The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 obligated the Agency to study
and make ahazardous waste listing determiriatiori of "refining wastes/1 Because EPA failed
to meet the Congressional deadlines, the Agency was sued by the EnvkonmentalDefense
:Fund (EDF) and in July, 1989 entered into a consent,agreement schedule of rulemakings.
This schedule among other things, obligates the Agency to make its listing determination
on fourteen specified wastes from petroleum refining on or before August 31, 1995; This
date was subsequently extended until October 31,1995.
Before drafting this proposal, the Agency surveyed all operating refineries and con-
ducted20 site visits and collected representative samples of each of the residuals being - •
studied. The results of this data collection effort have been shared with the facilities, the
American Petroleum Institute and the National Petroleum Refiners Association to the
greatest extent possible.
Action' '• . . . , •'••••...'.'.-. •••'.- ' ' .'•..'• .',-. \-.
This action proposes to amend the regulations for hazardous waste management ,
under RCRA by updating the characteristic of ignitability by listing as hazardous wastes
three of 14 residuals from petroleum refining processes which the Agency has evaluated.
This action also proposes to designate the waste proposed for listing as hazardous sub-
stances subject to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA), and to adjust the Onerpound statutory reportabie quantities (RQs)
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for these substances. The rule also modifies the definition of solid wastes with respect to
oil-bearing materials that are reinserted into the refining process.
Conclusion .
This proposed rule identifies wastes which currently exhibit unacceptable risks during
existing management practices and identifies other management practices that are found to
provide acceptable risks. The rule provides an opportunity to reshape the management of
these wastes in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment, while at
the same time providing industry with great latitude to manage oil-bearing materials in the
most economically feasible manner, ,
More Information
The Federal Register notice "and, this fact sheet are available in electronic format on the
Internet System through the EPA Public Access Server. For the text of the notice, choose:
Rules, Regulations, and Legislation/The Federal Register (FR) Environmental Subset/FR-
Waste/Year/Month/Day. This fact sheet is available under: EPA Offices and Regions/
Ofiice of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER)/Office of Solid Waste/Hazard-
ous Waste-Subtitle C/Hazardous Waste Identification/General. , '
For additional information or to order paper copies of the Federal Register notice, call
the RCRA Hotline. Callers within the Washington Metropolitan Area must dial 703-412-
9810 or TDD 703-412-3323 (hearing impaired). Long-distance callers may call 1-800-424-
9346 or TDD 1-800-553-7672. The RCRA Hotline is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
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