[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52097-52099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17434]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7964-4]


Notice of Final Decision To Grant Vickery Environmental, 
Incorporated a Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal 
Restrictions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 
Regarding Injection of Hazardous Wastes

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of final decision on a request to modify an exemption 
from the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of the Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given by the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA or Agency) that a modification of an exemption to the land 
disposal restrictions under the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste 
Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) has 
been granted to Vickery Environmental, Inc. (VEI) of Vickery, Ohio. 
This modification allows VEI to continue to inject RCRA-regulated 
hazardous wastes designated as K181 wastes which will be banned from 
land disposal on August 23, 2005, as a result of regulations 
promulgated in the Federal Register (FR) on February 24, 2005 (70 FR 
9138 et seq.) into four Class I injection wells at the Vickery, Ohio, 
facility. As required by 40 CFR part 148, VEI has demonstrated, to a 
reasonable degree of certainty, that there will be no migration of 
hazardous constituents from the injection zone utilized by VEI's waste 
disposal facility located near Vickery, Ohio, for as long as the newly-
exempted waste remains hazardous. This decision constitutes a final 
Agency action for which there is no administrative appeal.

DATES: This action is effective as of August 23, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harlan Gerrish, Lead Petition 
Reviewer, USEPA, Region 5, telephone (312) 886-2939. Copies of the 
petition and all related pertinent information are on file and are part 
of the Administrative Record. It is recommended that you contact the 
lead reviewer prior to reviewing the Administrative record.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Chemical Waste Management (CWM), the predecessor of VEI, submitted 
a petition for an exemption from the restrictions on land disposal of 
hazardous wastes on January 19, 1988. Revised documents were received 
on December 4, 1989, and several supplemental submittals were 
subsequently made. The exemption was granted on August 7, 1990. On 
September 12, 1994, CWM submitted a petition to modify the exemption to 
include wastes bearing 23 additional RCRA wastes codes. Region 5 
reviewed documents supporting the request and granted the modification 
of the exemption on May 16, 1995. A notice of the modification appeared 
on June 5, 1995, at 60 FR 29592 et seq. On April 9, 1996, CWM submitted 
a petition to again modify the exemption to allow 91 additional RCRA 
waste codes. Region 5 reviewed documents supporting the request and 
granted the modification on the exemption on June 24, 1996. A notice of 
the modification appeared on July 15, 1996, at 61 FR 36880 et seq. 
Again on May 13, 1997, CWM submitted a request to add 11 waste codes to 
the list. Region 5 reviewed the evidence submitted by CWM and granted 
the request. Notice of the approval appeared on August 12, 1997 (63 FR 
43109). On October 13, 1997, CWM notified the EPA that the name of the 
operator of the Vickery facility would become Waste Management of Ohio 
(WMO). This change was acknowledged by EPA through a letter added to 
the Administrative Record on November 10, 1997. On August 28, 1998, WMO 
requested that two additional wastes codes be approved for injection. 
Notice of the approval appeared on December 10, 1998 (63 FR 68284). In 
the same year, on November 5, 1998, WMO submitted a petition to exempt 
four additional waste codes. Approval of this petition appeared on 
February 10, 1999 (64 FR 6650). On January 24, 2000, Waste Management 
of Ohio informed EPA of a corporate reorganization and subsequent name 
change from Waste Management of Ohio to Vickery Environmental, Inc. 
This change was acknowledged by EPA through a letter added to the 
Administrative Record on March 9, 2000. On March 20, 2001, VEI 
requested that two wastes, designated as K174 and K175, be added to the 
list of wastes exempted for injection at VEI. This request was approved 
on May 23, 2001, and notice of the request appeared in the Federal 
Register on April 25, 2001 (66 FR 28464-28466). On January 31, 2002, 
WMO requested that four additional wastes codes be approved for 
injection. Notice of the approval appeared on April 29, 2004 (67 FR 
20971).
    The rule promulgated on February 24, 2005, bans K181 from injection 
after August 23, 2005, unless VEI's exemption is modified to allow 
injection of this waste. As a K-coded waste, the code represents a 
number of chemicals. Some of these have already been approved for 
injection at Vickery under other waste codes. VEI estimated diffusion 
rates for constituents not previously approved for injection using a 
method which Region 5 has previously accepted. The diffusion rates are 
lower than that of the chloride ion, the diffusion rate of which was 
used to define the edge of the waste plume at VEI. After review of the 
material submitted and verification of the calculations of diffusion 
rate, the EPA has determined, as required by 40 CFR 148.20(f), that 
there is a reasonable degree of certainty that the hazardous 
constituents contained in the waste bearing the code to be banned will 
behave hydraulically and chemically like wastes for which VEI was 
granted its original exemption and will not migrate from the injection 
zone in hazardous concentrations within 10,000 years. The injection 
zone is the Mt. Simon Sandstone and the Rome, Conasauga, Kerbel, and 
Knox Formations. The confining zone is comprised of the Wells Creek and 
Black River Formations.

[[Page 52098]]



 
 
 
                                                                        List of RCRA Waste Codes Approved for Injection:
 
         D001             F009            K033            K112            P011            P070            P191            U042            U095            U148            U203            U375
         D002             F010            K034            K113            P012            P071            P192            U043            U096            U149            U204            U376
         D003             F011            K035            K114            P013            P072            P194            U044            U097            U150            U205            U377
         D004             F012            K036            K115            P014            P073            P196            U045            U098            U151            U206            U378
         D005             F019            K037            K116            P015            P074            P197            U046            U099            U152            U207            U379
         D006             F020            K038            K117            P016            P075            P198            U047            U101            U153            U208            U381
         D007             F021            K039            K118            P017            P076            P199            U048            U102            U154            U209            U382
         D008             F022            K040            K123            P018            P077            P201            U049            U103            U155            U210            U383
         D009             F023            K041            K124            P020            P078            P202            U050            U105            U156            U211            U384
         D010             F024            K042            K125            P021            P081            P203            U051            U106            U157            U213            U385
         D011             F025            K043            K126            P022            P082            P204            U052            U107            U158            U214            U386
         D012             F026            K044            K131            P023            P084            P205            U053            U108            U159            U215            U387
         D013             F027            K045            K132            P024            P085            U001            U055            U109            U160            U216            U389
         D014             F028            K046            K136            P026            P087            U002            U056            U110            U161            U217            U390
         D015             F032            K047            K140            P027            P088            U003            U057            U111            U162            U218            U391
         D016             F034            K048            K141            P028            P089            U004            U058            U112            U163            U219            U392
         D017             F035            K049            K142            P029            P092            U005            U059            U113            U164            U220            U393
         D018             F037            K050            K143            P030            P093            U006            U060            U114            U165            U221            U394
         D019             F038            K051            K144            P031            P094            U007            U061            U115            U166            U222            U395
         D020             F039            K052            K145            P033            P095            U008            U062            U116            U167            U223            U396
         D021             K001            K060            K147            P034            P096            U009            U063            U117            U168            U225            U400
         D022             K002            K061            K148            P036            P097            U010            U064            U118            U169            U226            U401
         D023             K003            K062            K149            P037            P098            U011            U066            U119            U170            U227            U402
         D024             K004            K069            K150            P038            P099            U012            U067            U120            U171            U228            U403
         D025             K005            K071            K151            P039            P101            U014            U068            U121            U172            U234            U404
         D026             K006            K073            K156            P040            P102            U015            U069            U122            U173            U235            U407
         D027             K007            K083            K157            P041            P103            U016            U070            U123            U174            U236            U408
         D028             K008            K084            K158            P042            P104            U017            U071            U124            U176            U237            U409
         D029             K009            K085            K159            P043            P105            U018            U072            U125            U177            U238            U410
         D030             K010            K086            K160            P044            P106            U019            U073            U126            U178            U239            U411
         D031             K011            K087            K161            P045            P108            U020            U074            U127            U179            U240
         D032             K013            K088            K169            P046            P109            U021            U075            U128            U180            U243
         D033             K014            K093            K170            P047            P110            U022            U076            U129            U181            U244
         D034             K015            K094            K171            P048            P111            U023            U077            U130            U182            U246
         D035             K016            K095            K172            P049            P112            U024            U078            U131            U183            U247
         D036             K017            K096            K174            P050            P113            U025            U079            U132            U184            U248
         D037             K018            K097            K175            P051            P114            U026            U080            U133            U185            U249
         D038             K019            K098            K176            P054            P115            U027            U081            U134            U186            U271
         D039             K020            K099            K177            P056            P116            U028            U082            U135            U187            U277
         D040             K021            K100            K178            P057            P118            U029            U083            U136            U188            U278
         D041             K022            K101            K181            P058            P119            U030            U084            U137            U189            U279
         D042             K023            K102            P001            P059            P120            U031            U085            U138            U190            U280
         D043             K024            K103            P002            P060            P121            U032            U086            U139            U191            U328
         F001             K025            K104            P003            P062            P122            U033            U087            U140            U192            U353
         F002             K026            K105            P004            P063            P123            U034            U088            U141            U193            U359
         F003             K027            K106            P005            P064            P127            U035            U089            U142            U194            U364
         F004             K028            K107            P006            P065            P128            U036            U090            U143            U196            U365
         F005             K029            K108            P007            P066            P185            U037            U091            U144            U197            U366
         F006             K030            K109            P008            P067            P188            U038            U092            U145            U200            U367
         F007             K031            K110            P009            P068            P189            U039            U093            U146            U201            U372
         F008             K032            K111            P010            P069            P190            U041            U094            U147            U202            U373
 


[[Page 52099]]

II. Conditions

    General conditions of this exemption are found at 40 CFR part 148. 
The exemption granted to VEI on August 7, 1990, included a number of 
specific conditions. Conditions numbered (1), (2), (3), (4), and (9) 
remain in force. Construction of a monitoring well required under 
condition 5 has been completed, and the required monitoring will 
continue through the life of the facility. Conditions numbered (6), 
(7), and (8) have been fully satisfied. The results of the work carried 
out under these conditions confirms that the model used to simulate 
fluid movement within the injection zone for the next 10,000 years is 
valid and results of the simulation bound the region of the injection 
zone within which the waste will be contained.

Jo Lynn Traub,
Director, Water Division, Region 5.
[FR Doc. 05-17434 Filed 8-31-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P