On July 1, the Senate confirmed Timothy Fields, Jr. as the EPA's assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response. In an interview with the Bureau of National Affairs ("BNA"), Mr. Fields indicated that waste management reforms to compel quicker, better cleanup and outreach to industrial groups will have a high priority in the EPA's waste programs.
Fields called two recently announced RCRA reforms a "major priority" of his administration. The first is a proposed rule that aims to cut regulatory requirements and administrative burdens, including paperwork reduction. The second initiative is a set of administrative reforms to the agency's corrective action program designed to expedite the RCRA cleanup process at 1,712 sites.
In the Superfund program, Fields hopes to enhance reuse and redevelopment of Superfund sites on the National Priority List and to ensure that responsible parties are held liable for their actions at Superfund sites.
