Lion News

06/24/2014

Crushing Mercury Lamps: When Is It Acceptable?

The fluorescent lamps in offices and facilities across the US use mercury vapor for illumination. Under the US EPA’s RCRA regulations, wastes that contain elevated levels of leachable mercury compounds are hazardous waste. [40 CFR 261.24] When you discard the bulb from a tube or compact fluorescent lamp, you are discarding hazardous waste. Because nearly every office and business in the country generates this kind of waste...

04/29/2014

Managing Universal Waste-State and Federal Rules

In 1976, Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), a law authorizing the US EPA to regulate the management of hazardous waste from the point of generation to disposal, or “cradle to grave.” Under RCRA, states can create and administer their own hazardous waste programs, provided the State program is no less protective than the Federal standard. ..

03/11/2014

Stormwater Permitting “No Exposure” Exclusion

Since the 1970s, the US Environmental Protection Agency has regulated point sources of contamination to surface water through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Since 1994, the NPDES permitting program has also included a robust set of requirements for controlling and reporting discharges of stormwater from city water systems, construction sites, and industrial facilities. Complying with the stormwater discharge program can be difficult and expensive. Qualifying for the...

12/31/2013

Top Compliance Articles of 2013

For the annual year-end edition, we’ve collected the most popular articles from 2013, covering the major happenings that may have affected your facility. From new rulemakings and requirements to tips on inspections and help planning for next year, these compliance articles stood above the rest...

12/30/2013

Plan Ahead for 2014 Biennial RCRA Reports

As the 2013 calendar year winds down, hazardous waste generators begin buttoning up their recordkeeping for the current year and planning for 2014. This process most likely includes confirming that all facility personnel completed their annual training, all manifests are accounted for, all waste and LDR determination records are in order, and their contingency plan is current. In addition to the usual year-end wrap-ups, this year...

08/27/2013

Manifesting State-specific Hazardous Waste for Interstate Shipments

Shipping hazardous waste between states can be more complex than it seems. Under Section 3006 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), each state is authorized to oversee its own hazardous waste management regulatory program, as long as the state’s rules are at least as stringent as the Federal regulations. While most states simply adopt the Federal hazardous waste management rules, a handful of states...

08/06/2013

Proposed New Workplace Injury and Illness Prevention Program

Since the start of the Obama Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has placed a high priority on establishing regulations for mandatory injury and illness prevention programs, also known as IIPP or I2P2. OSHA recently reaffirmed this intent in the Spring 2013 regulatory agenda. In the latest...

06/25/2013

State-level Variations for Satellite Accumulation Areas

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), each state can operate its own hazardous waste regulatory program in lieu of Federal EPA standards. State-level programs must be at least as stringent as Federal regulations, but even when the rules are identical, the implementation can vary...

12/27/2011

RCRA State Authorization

06/14/2011

California: Draft MSP Program

The California State Water Board has released the first draft of a proposed permit for small municipal storm water dischargers, including...