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lining what actions should be taken to achieve RCRA-corrective action cleanup goals. Policy state-
ments are usually addressed to the staff working on implementation, but they may also be addressed
to the regulated community.
Guidance documents are issued by the EPA to provide direction for implementing and com-
plying with regulations (Figure 3.3). These are not strict requirements but are “how to” documents.
For example, the regulations in 40 CFR Part 270 detail what is required in a permit application for
a hazardous waste management facility, while the guidance for this part suggests how to evaluate
a permit application to ensure that all information has been included. Guidance documents also
elaborate on the agency’s interpretation of the requirements of the act (U.S. EPA, 2002).

3.5.4 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN RCRA

RCRA encourages public participation and involvement provisions to facilitate permitting, correc-
tive action, and state authorization processes. The EPA, consistent with the requirements of the
Administrative Procedures Act (APA), involves the public every time the agency issues a rulemak-
ing that establishes or changes regulatory provisions. Because the RCRA program is a complex reg-
ulatory framework, EPA has established several public outreach and assistance mechanisms to
foster public involvement. These include access to information through training grants, the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA), EPA’s Office of Ombudsman, the EPA Docket Center, the EPA Dockets
(EDOCKET) Web site, and the RCRA, Superfund & EPCRA Call Center.

REFERENCES
Levitan, R.L. and Nezam-Mafi, N., A Business Perspective on the Competitive Transition of the Electric Utility
Industry, Levitan and Associates, Inc. American Bankruptcy Institute Fifth Annual Northeast
Bankruptcy Conference July 1998. See: http://www.levitan.com/pdf/ABIspeech98.PDF
McCarthy, J.E. and Tiemann, M., Solid Waste Disposal Act/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Summaries of Environmental Laws Administered by the EPA, Congressional Research Service Report
RL 30022, National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC. See: http://
www.ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/briefingbooks/laws/h.cfm
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Nation’s Hazardous Waste Management Program at a Crossroads,
Report No. EPA/530-SW-90-069, Washington, DC July 1990.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Report on the Status of Open Dumps on Indian Lands, 1998 Report,
Waste Management in Indian Country, 1998. See: http://www.epa.gov/tribalmsw/pdftxt/98report.pdf
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, RCRA Orientation Manual, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2002.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CERCLA Overview, 2003a. See: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/
action/law/cercla.htm
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act
(Battery Act) Enforcement, 2003b. See: http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/civil/programs/ba/index.html

SUGGESTED READINGS

Butler, J.C., III, Schneider, M.W., Hall, G.R., and Burton, M.E., Allocating superfund costs: cleaning up the
controversy, Environ. Law Reporter, 23, 10133–10144, 1993.
Carlson, R.L., RCRA overview, in Handbook on Hazardous Materials Management, Cox, D.B., Ed., Institute
of Hazardous Materials Management, Rockville, MD, 1995.
Case, D.R., Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, in Environmental Law Handbook, Sullivan, T.F.P., Ed.,
14th ed., Government Institutes, Rockville, MD, 1997.
Landfair, S.W., Toxic substances Control Act, in Environmental Law Handbook, Sullivan, T.F.P., Ed., 14th ed.,
Government Institutes, Rockville, MD, 1997.