RCRA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (40 CFR 240), controls the storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste from cradle to grave. Its objective is to protect human health and the environment from harmful disposal of hazardous wastes. The uniform hazardous waste manifest form is central to this regulation.
EPA authorizes states to develop and enforce their own waste management programs. A state's waste management program will only be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency if it is substantially equivalent to, consistent with, and no less stringent than the federal RCRA program. A state whose waste management program has been approved is deemed to have "RCRA authorization."
EPA delegates much of its RCRA hazardous waste enforcement responsibility to its 10 regional offices. Each state has been assigned to a specific region. Iowa, Alaska, and Hawaii are not authorized by EPA to develop and carry out their own waste management programs.
Help with RCRA Regulations is On the Way
Enviro.BLR.com provides RCRA compliance analysis on both state and federal regulations. The web site features plain-English summaries of the differences between federal and state environmental laws and regulations, state and federal final and proposed regulations and notices, and "Ask the Experts" service.
There is also an extensive compliance "Tools" section that provides more than 7,000 guidance documents, sample plans, forms, and checklists. The Enviro.BLR.com editorial staff keep the site and you up-to-date on all important RCRA and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act developments.
The EPA Library has more helpful environmental compliance resources like these:
RCRA training meetings
Uniform hazardous waste manifest form analysis
Hazardous waste management programs and policies
Sign up for a free 14 day trial and see for yourself how Enviro.BLR.com can help.