Opinion ID: 184539
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Munitions at firing ranges

Text: 18 In the preamble to the final Military Munitions Rule the EPA expressed its opinion [that] the use of munitions does not constitute a waste management activity because the munitions are not 'discarded.'  62 Fed.Reg. at 6630. Accordingly, the Rule provides that a military munition is not a regulatory solid waste when it is used for its intended purpose, including training, research, testing, and 19 [r]ecovery, collection, and on-range destruction of unexploded ordnance and munitions fragments during range clearance activities at active or inactive ranges. However, use for intended purpose does not include the on-range disposal or burial of unexploded ordnance and contaminants when the burial is not a result of product use. 20 40 C.F.R. § 266.202(a)(1)(iii). 21 A used or fired military munition comes within the regulatory definition of solid waste for purposes of Subtitle C when it is transported off range or from the site of use ... for the purposes of storage, reclamation, treatment, disposal, or treatment prior to disposal or if it is recovered collected, and then disposed of by burial, or landfilling either on or off a range. 40 C.F.R. § 266.202(c). A used or fired military munition that lands off range and is not promptly rendered safe and/or retrieved, however, comes within the statutory but not the regulatory definition of solid waste. 40 C.F.R. § 266.202(d). Although this type of solid waste is not subject to the strictures of Subtitle C, Part 266 provides: 22 Any imminent and substantial threats associated with any remaining material must be addressed. If remedial action is infeasible, the operator of the range must maintain a record of the event for as long as any threat remains. The record must include the type of munition and its location (to the extent the location is known). 23 40 C.F.R. § 266.202(d). 24 To sum up: The Military Munitions Rule provides that a military munition that lands on a firing range is not a solid waste and hence cannot be a hazardous waste for purposes of Subtitle C. If the munition lands off range and is not retrieved or rendered safe, then it is a statutory solid waste and hence subject to the authorities of Subtitle G for dealing with an imminent and substantial hazard. If someone moves a fired military munition off range or disposes of it on range, then it becomes a regulatory solid waste for purposes of Subtitle C.