On December 21, 1995, USEPA proposed the Hazardous Waste Identification Rule (HWIR) under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and allowed 60 days for public comment. USEPA is under a court order to adopt a final HWIR by December 15, 1996.
The proposed HWIR provides two significant benefits to hazardous waste generators. First, the proposal would allow listed hazardous wastes generated during manufacturing or collected during soil and groundwater cleanups to avoid the hazardous waste management regulations if their chemical constituents fall below listed concentration levels. Second, some hazardous wastes might not have to be treated prior to land disposal. Generators will likely experience great savings in the form of reduced treatment and disposal costs if the proposed HWIR is adopted.
