vc/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(OS-305)
EPA/530-SW-91-080
June 1992
Environmental
Fact Sheet
A STOREHOUSE
OF INFORMATION
Profile of the RCRA
Information Center (RIC)
The Office of Solid Waste (OSW) established the RCRA Information
Center (RIC) to provide EPA staff, environmental organizations, the
regulated community, and the general public access to rulemaking
dockets and to create a central location for policy and guidance docu-
ments. The RIC offers telephone, walk-in, and written reference services
and disseminates information about hazardous and solid waste.
Regulatory Docket
Four divisions within the Office of Solid
Waste (OSW) write regulations relating to the
implementation of the Resource Conserva-
tion and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 and
its amendments: the Characterization and
Assessment Division, the Permits and State
Programs Division, the Waste Management
Division, and the Municipal and Industrial
Solid Waste Division.
A docket consists of the technical materials
used when developing a regulation. It can
include EPA and contractor technical reports,
economic analyses, regulatory impact analy-
ses, technical resource documents, guidance
documents, surveys, meeting summaries, trip
reports, summaries of telephone conversa-
tions, correspondence, and transcripts of
public hearings. Also, the regulatory docket
may include EPA responses to public com-
ments.
Generally, the docket materials that are
most heavily used are the newly proposed
rules that are open for public comment. Typi-
cally, the RIC has between five or six dockets
open for comment at any given time. Each
docket is usually open for comment for 30 to
60 days after regulation proposal.
Everyday the RIC staff logs in and files all
the public comments submitted in response
to rules proposed by OSW. The RIC staff
encourages docket users to make an ap-
pointment before visiting, although they do
assist walk-in clients without appointments
as well. They ask that clients schedule their
visits in advance because much of the mate-
i Printed on recycled paper.
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rial can be used by only one person at a time, Cincinnati, the EPA Library Network, the
and there is a limit to the number of clients that RCRA/Superfund Hotline, and Infoterra staff at
the staff can assist at any one time. the Headquarters Library.
In addition to the regulatory dockets, the RIC
collection includes notebooks of all RCRA Fed-
eral Register notices, certified administrative
records (rulemaking dockets that have under-
gone litigation), policy directives, guidance
documents, delisting petitions, rulemaking pe-
titions, regulatory interpretation letters, health
and environmental effects profiles, health and
environmental effects documents, OSW
memos, and a historical collection of older
OSW publications.
The RIC maintains an automated data base
of the documents in its collection. From this
data base of more than 41,000 titles, the staff
produces indexes of each rulemaking docket
and lists of some special collections. They also
can produce customized lists of materials for
specific requests from patrons.
Last fall the RIC began converting its records
to microfilm. All administrative records have
been filmed, and the filming of closed regulatory
dockets is in progress. This effort will ensure the
integrity of docket files and allow better use of
space.
Information
Dissemination
The RIC has an important role in disseminating
current hazardous and solid waste information
to the public. Not only does it provide access to
the rulemaking materials, it also serves as a
focal point for distributing numerous OSW pub-
lications. RIC staff work closely with the Public
Information Center, the OSW Clearinghouse in
Over the past two years, the staff of the RIC
has virtually tripled in size. In FY1991, the RIC
responded to over 245,000 requests from
82,500 people. The majority of requests re-
ceived were for information on recycling. These
requests came from EPA Headquarters and
Regional staff and the public (which includes
the regulated community, environmental
groups, state and local government officials,
the media, and students of all ages).
One way the public learns what is available
in the RIC is by reading the Federal Register.
Proposed and final rules are published in the
Federal Register, along with lists of back-
ground documents. Another way is by reading
EPA press releases, which are circulated by
the Office of Public Affairs to announce pro-
posed and final regulations and publications.
The RIC compiles a Catalogue of Hazardous
and Solid Waste Publications, which serves as
another tool for promoting public access. In
addition to these sources, OSW prepares spe-
cial mailings as part of its communication plans
and produces a newsletter, Reusable News, to
share information about nonhazardous solid
waste.
The RIC is managed by OSW's Communica-
tions, Analysis, and Budget Division. It is lo-
cated in Room 2427 of Waterside Mall and is
open to the public during the week from 9:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and to EPA staff from 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are interested in finding
out more about the RCRA Information Center,
contact Kathy Bruneske at FTS 260-3231;
Dmail Bruneske. Kathy.
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