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Region 10: The Pacific Northwest |  |
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Serving the people of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and 270 Native Tribes
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Working with States - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Working Together to Enhance Consistent EPA, State, and Tribal Relations The RCRA program establishes a system for controlling hazardous waste from the time it is generated until its ultimate disposal. Congress intended that States assume responsibility for implementing RCRA, with oversight from the Federal government. The rationale was that States are more familiar with the regulated community and are in a better position to administer the programs and respond to specific State and local needs most effectively. The process that States must go through to obtain the responsibility for the RCRA program involves developing a State hazardous waste program and having the program approved by EPA. This process is called authorization. For a State to receive final authorization it must be "fully" equivalent to, no less stringent than, and consistent with the Federal program. However, States may impose requirements that are "more stringent" or "broader in scope" than the Federal requirements. In addition, the State’s program must provide adequate enforcement authority to carry out its provisions, provide for public notice and hearing in the permitting process and provide for public availability of information in "substantially the same manner and to the same degree" as the Federal program. States have a continuing obligation to maintain a hazardous waste program that is equivalent to, consistent with, and no less stringent than the Federal program. In EPA Region 10, Idaho, Oregon and Washington have received EPA approval to run the RCRA base programs with subsequent revisions thereof. EPA currently runs the RCRA program in Alaska. EPA developed the State Authorization Tracking System (StATS) to document the progress of each state and territory in establishing and maintaining RCRA-authorized hazardous waste management programs. Reports for the Region 10 states (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) may be accessed at the EPA Headquarters Website. The National Environmental Performance Partnership System is a new mechanism to build a more effective State-EPA partnership for environmental protection. With a focus on results, performance partnerships allows the States the flexibility to direct resources where they are most needed to protect human health and the environment. Thus, the purpose of NEPPS is: Three States in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) currently have Performance Partnership Agreements (PPA) with EPA, Region 10 and are available for viewing by the public. For more information on EPA's state authorization process, contact: Jeff Hunt (Idaho) - (206) 553-0256 Nina Kocourek (Washington) - (206) 553-6502 Lynn Williams (Oregon) - (206) 553-2121 For information about the States' RCRA programs, contact: Oregon - (503) 229-6534 Washington - (360) 407-6756 Idaho - John Bruek, (208) 373-0458 or by email jbruek@deq.state.id.us. Alaska RCRA Information Line 1-800-550-7272 (use this number to call EPA Region 10 in Seattle from within Alaska only) Alaska RCRA Information (if you are not within Alaska when you call) (206) 553-2859 Unit: Resources Mgmt. & State Programs Unit Jeff Hunt E-Mail: hunt.jeff@.epa.gov (206) 553-0256 Phone Number: (206) 553-0256 Last Updated (mm/dd/yy): 10/01/2004 Working with States http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/OWCM.NSF/states/states |
