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PA NEW DEADLINE FOR THE HAZ. WASTE IDENTIFICATION RULE

Release Date: 04/11/97
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PA NEW DEADLINE FOR THE HAZ. WASTE IDENTIFICATION RULE

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 1997

NEW DEADLINE FOR THE HAZARDOUS WASTE IDENTIFICATION RULE

EPA, the Environmental Technology Council, the Edison Electric Institute and a coalition of industry groups (Chemical Manufacturers Association, the American Petroleum Institute, American Forest and Paper Products, American Iron and Steel, the Fertilizer Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) have jointly reached agreement on a schedule extension for the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule for process waste, otherwise known as HWIR-waste. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register Dec. 21, 1995 (60 FR 66344). This rule proposed to exempt from federal Subtitle C regulation low-risk listed hazardous wastes that met regulatory levels for almost 400 chemicals. Under the new schedule, which has been submitted to the court for approval, EPA will complete a proposal by Oct. 31, 1999, and finalize the rule by April 30, 2001. The primary reason for this extension is to allow the Agency time to develop and offer for public comment a revised risk assessment that evaluates risk from simultaneous exposures to a toxic chemical through multiple pathways such as inhalation, ground water ingestion and soil ingestion. This risk assessment evaluates potential harm to human health and the environment. For more information on HWIR-waste, contact the RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 (or 703-412-9810 in the Washington metropolitan area) or see EPA's HWIR Web Page at http://www.epa/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/hwirwste.

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