Opinion ID: 681032
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: United States' First Claim for Relief

Text: 5 Bethlehem's ammonia waste liquor is a characteristic hazardous waste within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. Sec. 6903(5). Therefore, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sec. 6925(a), Bethlehem must heed RCRA's permit requirements for hazardous waste management before it may legally dispose of the ammonia in its underground injection wells. In certain instances, RCRA allows an owner or operator of a hazardous waste facility to satisfy RCRA permit obligations through compliance with provisions promulgated under environmental statutes other than RCRA. In this case, the operator of an underground injection well into which hazardous wastes are injected satisfies its RCRA hazardous waste permit obligations by obtaining and complying with an Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit, which it is in turn required to have under the SDWA. 3 40 C.F.R. Sec. 270.60. 6 In 1976, Congress enacted the SDWA to protect the nation's drinking water sources. Section 1421 of the SDWA, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 300h, and its implementing regulations establish the minimum requirements for state UIC programs governing underground injection wells. In Indiana, the applicable UIC program for Class I injection wells is administered by the EPA and consists of federal UIC regulations. 4 7 On September 30, 1985, the EPA issued Bethlehem two UIC permits under the SDWA, authorizing it to dispose of its ammonia liquor in the facility's underground injection wells. The permits, however, were conditioned upon Bethlehem's performance of a three-phase corrective action program for all of the solid waste management units on its property. Phase I (Preliminary Assessment) required Bethlehem to submit an initial assessment report no later than 45 days after the effective date of the permit. Phase II (Corrective Action Plan) required Bethlehem to submit, within six months of the effective date of the permit, a corrective action plan to ameliorate any hazardous releases. Phase III (Corrective Action Implementation) obliged Bethlehem to implement its corrective action plan within 36 months of the effective date of the permit. The United States alleges that Bethlehem violated the permit requirements of both RCRA and SDWA by failing to perform any phase of the corrective action program according to the schedule prescribed by the UIC permits. 8