Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave." This includes permitting the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. The Federal Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 amended the RCRA by requiring phasing out land disposal of untreated hazardous waste. Some of the other mandates of this strict law include increased enforcement authority for EPA, more stringent hazardous waste management standards, and a comprehensive underground storage tank program. The California Environmental Protection Agency Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has the state regulatory authority for enforcing the provisions of RCRA.
RCRA focuses on regulating hazardous waste at active facilities. Abandoned or historical sites are addressed by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) is implementing RCRA Corrective Actions initiated by the EPA in 1989. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for ten Solid Waste Management Units (SWMU) under the SSFL Corrective Action program. Each SWMU is a location identified for investigation under the RCRA Corrective Action program. Cleanup criteria established through the Corrective Action process will apply to the DOE responsible SWMUs. The DOE will ensure each SWMU is cleaned up based on the cleanup criteria and groundwater monitoring as necessary to ensure long term protection.
DOE has two RCRA permitted facilities at SSFL. The Radioactive Materials Handling Facility is permitted for the treatment and storage of mixed waste (containing both chemical and radioactive components). The Hazardous Waste Management Facility was permitted for the treatment and storage of liquid metals.
