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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