Land Disposal Restrictions: Site-Specific Treatment Variance for P and U-Listed Hazardous Mixed Wastes Treated by Vacuum Thermal Desorption at the EnergySolutions' Facility in Clive, UT

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is issuing a direct final rule granting a site-specific treatment variance to EnergySolutions LLC (EnergySolutions) in Clive, Utah for the treatment of certain P and U-listed hazardous waste containing radioactive contamination ("mixed waste") using vacuum thermal desorption (VTD). This variance is an alternative treatment standard to treatment by combustion (CMBST) required for these wastes under EPA rules implementing the land disposal restriction (LDR) provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Agency has determined that combustion of the solid treatment residue generated from the VTD unit is technically inappropriate due to the effective performance of the VTD unit. Once the P and U-listed mixed waste are treated using VTD, the solid treatment residue can be land disposed without further treatment. This treatment variance is conditioned upon EnergySolutions complying with a Waste Family Demonstration Testing (WFDT) plan specifically addressing the treatment of these P and U listed wastes, which is to be implemented through a RCRA Part B permit modification for the VTD unit.