EPA and State Inspection, Enforcement, and Permitting Activities at Hazardous Waste Facilities

Testimony was presented concerning a GAO report on inspection, enforcement, and permitting activities at hazardous waste facilities. GAO found that many facilities are not complying with federal regulations requiring the owners and operators of certain hazardous waste facilities to institute ground water monitoring programs or document their eligibility to waive monitoring requirements. Two primary reasons for noncompliance are the technical complexity surrounding the proper location and construction of wells and the high costs of installing them. To improve the situation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made facilities subject to ground water monitoring requirements a high inspection priority for 1984. Federal regulations also require owners and operators of hazardous waste facilities to demonstrate their ability to finance closure and postclosure activities when the facilities cease operations. GAO found that the states it reviewed did not routinely perform detailed evaluations of facility closure plans and cost estimates and could not evaluate the adequacy of their financial assurance instruments. Since it has been reported that facility closure plans are inadequate, EPA has also made the review of facility closure plans and cost estimates a high priority for fiscal year 1984 and plans to provide additional training guidance in plan evaluation and cost estimation. GAO found that, through October 1983, only 80 of the estimated 8,000 facilities required to have permits had received final permits, and EPA estimates that permitting of all facilities could extend to 1993. Due to the long period of time involved, EPA has established priorities for permitting, giving land disposal facilities top priority and storage and treatment facilities the lowest priority.