Louisiana; Final Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions

The State of Louisiana applied for final authorization of revisions to its hazardous waste program under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviewed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's (LDEQ) application and made a decision, subject to public review and comment, that Louisiana's hazardous waste program revision satisfied all of the requirements necessary to qualify for final authorization of many of the provisions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) to RCRA. As such, EPA published an Immediate Final Rule on November 7, 1994, for a 45-day public review and comment period. During the public comment period, EPA received comments from three commentors opposed to the Agency granting authorization to Louisiana for this program revision, which includes corrective action. Two commentors expressed concern about LDEQ having adequate resources and the will to enforce RCRA regulations, based on its handling of reported violations at Bayou Steel Corporation (Bayou Steel), LaPlace, Louisiana. The third commentor raised concerns about LDEQ's current appeal scheme and position on public participation in settlements. Today's publication is EPA's response to the comments received regarding this program revision authorization, which contains most rules referred to by EPA as HSWA Cluster I.