Opinion ID: 509500
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: relief to be granted

Text: 94 Petitioners seek an order directing the EPA to proceed with its proposed relisting of the six hazardous smelting wastes. Petitioners are entitled to the relief they seek. Since the six hazardous smelter wastes clearly are not high volume, low hazard wastes, EPA cannot refuse to relist them. They are not properly within the scope of the Bevill exclusion regardless of the status of any additional processing wastes. Accordingly, EPA shall relist the six hazardous smelter wastes by August 31, 1988. 95 Petitioners also ask the Court to impose a schedule on EPA for determining which large volume processing wastes remain within the Bevill exclusion and for completing its regulatory responsibilities with respect to those wastes. EPA is obligated to study the processing wastes that remain excluded from regulation under Subtitle C but were not included in the Sec. 8002 studies or the report submitted to Congress on December 31, 1985. Furthermore, EPA is obligated by statute, within six months after it submits a report to Congress on those remaining processing wastes, to decide to regulate them under Subtitle C or determine that such regulation is unwarranted. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 6921(b)(3)(C). 96 EPA argues that the relief requested by petitioners is unnecessary because the Agency is now conducting the required Sec. 8002 studies on various processing wastes and may well conclude that Subtitle C regulation is appropriate for these wastes. Respondents' Brief at 43. EPA's history of delay and missed deadlines with respect to its statutory obligations to complete the Sec. 8002 mining waste studies, however, indicates that a court-imposed schedule is necessary here. See Public Citizen Health Research Group v. Brock, 823 F.2d 626 (D.C.Cir.1987); Telecommunications Research & Action Center v. FCC, 750 F.2d 70 (D.C.Cir.1984). EPA violated the October 21, 1983 statutory deadline for completing the Sec. 8002 studies. 42 U.S.C. Secs. 6982(f), (p). EPA violated the court order in Adamstown by failing to either include processing wastes in the Sec. 8002 study submitted to Congress on December 31, 1985, or to exclude them from the scope of the Bevill Amendment and subject them to regulation under Subtitle C. The Adamstown order was based on EPA's own proposed schedule; yet the Agency failed to fully comply with its requirements. 97 Accordingly, EPA shall adhere to the following schedule for fulfilling its statutory obligations with respect to processing wastes under the Bevill Amendment. EPA shall propose by October 15, 1988 which processing wastes remain within the Bevill exclusion as high volume, low hazard special wastes. EPA shall, after notice and comment, make a final determination of which processing wastes remain within the Bevill exclusion as high volume, low hazard special wastes by February 15, 1989. EPA shall complete the Sec. 8002 studies of any processing wastes remaining within the Bevill exclusion and submit those studies to Congress by July 31, 1989. As required by statute, EPA shall make its regulatory determination with respect to those wastes within six months of the submission of the report to Congress. 98 So ordered. This Court will retain jurisdiction to ensure compliance with this Order.