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OFFIC E O F SOLl O WAST E AN O EMERGENC E RESPONS E Mr . Pau l M . Bohannon , Esq . Porte r & Clement s NCN B Cente r 700 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 byWast e Crud e Oi l Reclaimer s concernin g th e applicabilit yo f Subtitl e C o f th e Resourc e Conservatio nan d Recover yAc t (RCRA ) t o crud e oi l reclaime r wastes . Thi s lette r continue s wit ha summar yo f ou r tentativ e conclusion s fro mth e revie wo f th e reques t and ou r cours e o f actio nfo r respondin g t o th e request . I nligh t o f you r request , an d base d upo nou r communication s wit hvariou s stat e regulator yauthoritie s an d industr y representatives , i t appear s bot hnecessar yan d appropriat e a t thi s tim e t o clarif yth e Regulator yDeterminatio nfo r Oi l an d Ga s and 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 i nth e form o f a ninterpretiv e notic e tha t wil l b e publishe d i nth e Federa l Register . Th e notic e woul d explai nan d clarif yth e intende d meanin g o f th e languag e concernin g waste s fro mcrud e oi l and tan k botto mreclaimer s tha t appeare d i nth e Agency' s Regulator y Determination . Specifically , th e forthcomin g notic e woul d identif y thos e reclaime r waste s tha t ar e and ar e no t exemp t fro mSubtitl e C o f RCRA . 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 nth e forthcomin g notice , followin g i s a brie f summar yo f ou r preliminar ypositio no nreclaimers ' wastes . Generally , thos e waste s tha t ar e derive d fro mth e processin g by reclaimer s o f onl yexemp t waste s fro mprimar yoi l an d ga s fiel d operation s ar e als o exemp t fro mth e requirement s o f Subtitl e C . Fo r example , waste s generate d fro mth e proces s o f recoverin g crud e oi l fro m

tan k bottom s obtaine d fro mproduc t storag e facilitie s a t primar yfiel d operation s ar e exemp t fro mSubtitl e C becaus e th e produc t storag e tan k bottom s ar e exempt . Thi s i s base d largel yo n th e lon g hel d principl e that , generally , waste s derive d fro mexemp t waste s remai nexempt .

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- 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 nit 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 nmaterial s whic har e no t uniquel yassociate d wit ho r intrinsi c t o primar yexploratio nand productio nfiel d operation s woul d no t b e exempt . A nexampl 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 no f crud e oil . Th e Agenc yplan s t o issu e th e notic e a s a clarificatio nt o a pas t Agenc yactio n- - th e Regulator yDeterminatio nproces s - - whic h wa s subjecte d t o publi c revie wand commen t procedures . A s such , th e Agenc ywoul d no t solici t comment s o r additiona l informatio no n th e forthcomin g notice . However , th e Agency' s publi c docke t o nth e Regulator yDeterminatio nwil 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 npla yi ncontributin 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 ngenerate d off-sit e bycommercia l reclaimers . W e trus t tha t thi s letter , an d th e forthcomin g Federa l Registe r notic e wil l b e responsiv e t o th e concern s yo u and "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 nR . Cla y' *fr\ Assistan t Administrator '