P. 1



# RCRA Box 321 Prepped byRyan Dugan



### Document

Number: 

# 248 ) OGRC-S0039. A Docket Number: 

# F-93-OGRC-FFFF F

Printed 5/8/2007 3:36:33 PM

Sheet 248of 259P. 2 

### 0G£C-SO03<?. A 

# I SB / UNITE D STATE S ENVIRONMENTA LPROTECTIO N AGENCY WASHINGTON

. D.C

. 2046 0 

### AP R

### Z ;99 :

Mr . Pau l M . Bohannon , Esq . Porte r & Clement s NCNB Cente r 70 0 Louisiana , Suit e 350 0 Houston , Texa s 77002-273 0 Dea r Mr . Bohannon : Thi s i s t o infor

myo u tha t w e hav e conclude d ou r revie wo f th e Septembe r 18 , 199 0 Reques t b yWast e Crud e Oi l Reclaimer s concerning th e applicabilit yo f Subtitl e C o f the Resourc e Conservatio n an

d RecoveryAc t (RCRA ) t o crud e oi l reclaime r wastes . Thi s lette r continue s wit ha summaryo f ou r tentativ e conclusion s fro mth e revie wo f th e reques t an d ou r cours e o f actio n for responding t o th e request . I n ligh t o f you r request , an d base d upo n ou r communication s wit hvariou s stat e regulatoryauthoritie s an d industry representatives , i t appear s bot hnecessaryan d appropriat e a t thi s time t o clarif yth e RegulatoryDeterminatio nfo r Oi l an d Ga s an

d Geotherma l Exploration . Developmen t an d Productio nWaste s (se e 5 3 F R25446 ; Jul y6 , 1988 ) wit hrespec t t o crud e oi l reclaime r wastes . Th e Agenc yplan s t o respon d t o you r reques t inth e for m o f an interpretiv e notic e tha t wil l b e publishe d i nthe Federa l Register . Th e notic e woul d explai n an d clarif y, th e intende d meaning o f th e languag e concerning waste s fro mcrud e oi l an

d tank bottomreclaimer s tha t appeare d i nth e Agency' s Regulatory Determination . Specifically , th e forthcoming notic e woul d identif y thos e reclaime r waste s tha t ar e an d ar e no t exemp t fro mSubtitl e C ofRCRA. ' Whil e th e Agenc yplan s t o detai l it s explanatio no f exemp t an d non-exemp t waste s i n th e forthcoming notice , following i s a brie f summaryo f ou r preliminarypositio nonreclaimers ' wastes . Generally , thos e waste s tha t ar e derive d fro mth e processin g b y reclaimer s o f onl yexemp t waste s fro m primaryoi l an

d ga s fiel d operation s ar e als o exemp t fro m th e requirement s o f Subtitl e c . Fo r example , waste s generate d fro mth e proces s o f recovering crud e oi l fro mtank bottom s obtaine d fro m produc t storag e facilitie s a t primaryfiel d operation s ar e exemp t fro mSubtitl e C becaus e the produc t storag e tank bottom s ar e exempt . Thi s i s base d largel yon th e long hel d principl e that , generally , waste s derive d fro mexemp t waste s remai n exempt .P. 3 >'

- 2

-

However , ther e ar e als o soli d and liqui d waste s fromreclaime r operation s tha t ar e no t exemp t fro mSubtitl e C t o whic hth e Agenc y intende d t o refe r i n it s 198 8 notice . Generally , thos e reclaime r waste s derived

- fro mnon-exemp t oilfiel d waste s o r tha t otherwis e contai n material s whic har e no t uniquel yassociate d wit ho r intrinsi c t o primar yexploratio n and productio n fiel d operation s woul d no t b e exempt . A n exampl e o f thes e non-exemp t waste s woul d b e wast e solven t generate d fro mth e solven t cleanin g o f tan k truck s tha t ar e use d t o transpor t oi l fiel d tan k bottoms . Suc hwaste s woul d no t b e exemp t fro mSubtitl e C becaus e th e us e o f solven t i s neithe r uniqu e no r intrinsi c t o th e productio n o f crud e oil . Th e Agenc yplan s t o issu e th e notic e a s a clarificatio n t o a pas t Agenc yactio n - - th e Regulator yDeterminatio n proces s - - whic h wa s subjecte d t o publi c revie wan d commen t procedures . A s such , th e Agenc ywoul d no t solici t comment s o r additiona l informatio n o n th e forthcomin g notice . However , th e Agency' s publi c docke t o n th e Regulator yDeterminatio n wil l b e supplemente d wit hmaterial s yo u supplied , a s wel l a s othe r material s obtaine d byth e Agenc ydurin g th e cours e o f evaluatin g you r Septembe r 18 , 199 0 request . Th e Agenc yrealize s th e significan t rol e tha t wast e crud e oi l reclaimer s ca n pla yi n contributin g t o it s wast e minimizatio n polic yan d goals . Ou r upcomin g interpretiv e notic e wil l allo wu s t o avoi d th e inequitie s tha t woul d b e impose d i f w e wer e t o classif ywaste s tha t ar e exemp t a t primar yfiel d operation s a s non exemp t whe n generate d off-sit e bycommercia l reclaimers . W e trus t tha t thi s letter , and th e forthcomin g Federa l Registe r notic e wil l b e responsiv e t o th e concern s yo u an d -other s hav e raised . Meanwhile , i f yo u hav e anyquestions , pleas e contac t Mr . Bo bTonett i a t (703 ) 308-8426 . Sincerely ,

Do n R . Cla y' -fr\ Assistan t Administrator '