EPA Deregulates Texas Oil Refinery Wastes Despite Threat Of Lawsuit

摘要

Epa is granting ExxonMobil's petition to deregulate certain tank wastes at a Texas oil refinery despite criticisms that doing so may be illegal and could set a national precedent eroding environmental protections. In response to ExxonMobil's petition, Epa proposed in 2010 to exclude — or delist — certain centrifuge solids generated from the treatment of tank bottoms at the company's Beaumont, TX, refinery from strict hazardous waste regulation under the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA). Such delisting would allow ExxonMobil to dispose of the wastes in nonhazardous landfills regulated under subtitle D of RCRA, rather then handle them according to stricter hazardous waste regulations under RCRA subtitle C.