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# RCRA Box 321 Prepped byRyan Dugan



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« < »WJ1* C UNITE D STATE S ENVIRONMENTA L PROTECTIO N AGENCY WASHINGTON . D.C . 2046 0 

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Mr . Pau l M . Bohannon , Esq . Porte r & Clement s NCNB 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 Regues t b yWast e Crud e Oi l Reclaimer s concerning th e applicabilit yo f Subtitl e C o f th e 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 fo r 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 n fo r Oi l an d Ga s an

d Geotherma l Exploration , Developmen t an d Productio n Waste s (se e 5 3 F R 25446 ; Jul y6 , 1988 ) wit hrespec t t o crud e oi l reclaime r wastes . Th e Agenc yplan s t o respond t o you r reques t i n th e for m o f a n interpretiv e notic e tha t wil l b e publishe d i n th e Federa l Register . Th e notic e woul d explai n an d clarif yth e intende d meanin g o f th e languag e concernin g waste s fro mcrud e oi l an

d tank bottomreclaimer s tha t appeare d i n th 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 o f RCRA . Whil e th e Agenc yplan s t o detai l it s explanatio n o 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 n o n reclaimers ' 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 mprimaryoi l an

d ga s fiel d operation s are 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 recoverin g crud e oi l fro mtank bottom s obtaine d fro mproduc t storag e facilitie s a t primaryfiel d operations.ar e exemp t fro m Subtitl e C becaus e th e 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 

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However , ther e ar e als o soli d an d liqui d waste s fro mreclaime 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 primaryexploratio n an d 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 be wast e solven t generate d fro mth e solven t cleaning o f tank truck s tha t ar e use d t o transpor t oi l fiel d tank 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 RegulatoryDeterminatio 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 on th e forthcoming notice . However , th e Agency' s publi c docke t on th e RegulatoryDeterminatio 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 b yth e Agenc yduring th e cours e o f evaluating 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 playi n contributing 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 primaryfiel d operation s a s non exemp t whe n generate d off-sit e b ycommercia l reclaimers . W e trus t tha t thi s letter , an d th e forthcoming 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 an yquestions , pleas e contac t Mr . Bo bTonett i a t (703 ) 308-8426 . Sincerely ,

Do n R . Clay' x -*r\ Assistan t Administrator *