Land Ban Provisions of the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA)
- Introduction
- Land Ban Exemptions in Region 5
- Withdrawn Petitions in Region 5
- Information for Petitioners
- Links to the Land Ban Regulations and EPA Headquarters Guidance
Introduction
The 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) ban certain wastes from land disposal but companies can apply for an exemption under the UIC program to dispose of these wastes underground through injection wells. Granting or denying such an exemption is a Federal authority that remains the sole responsibility of EPA to carry-out. Under this responsibility, EPA regulates all hazardous waste injection wells disposing of restricted waste in all Region 5 states.
Companies seeking exemption in EPA Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin and on all tribal lands within these states) must submit a petition to our regional office for approval. There are currently nine active facilities in Region 5 with approved exemptions. Three of these facilities are up for a mandatory review to reassess whether the projections on waste isolation remain valid.
To continue injecting banned hazardous wastes under these regulations, operators must:
- treat the wastes below the EPA specified contaminant levels (referred to as treatment standards), or
- submit a petition demonstrating that there is no migration of hazardous constituents from the injection zone.
All exemptions granted in Region 5 use the no-migration option.
We have prepared a general discussion of the containment of wastes under the land ban program to explain the process of obtaining an exemption from the ban on land disposal of hazardous wastes and the components of a no-migration petition.
Land Ban Exemptions in Region 5
In Region 5, the following hazardous waste facilities have approved land ban exemptions:
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view
some of the files on this page. See EPA's
PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a free link to the free Acrobat Reader. |
State | Facility | Date of Exemption | End of Modeling Period* | Draft and Final Decisions** |
---|---|---|---|---|
Illinois | Allied Signal, Inc., Danville, IL (Well plugged 11/99) | May 8, 1990 | 2003 | Draft 55 FR 5265 - 5268 (2/14/90) Final 55 FR 20630- 20631 (5/18/90) 1993 Modification (four additional waste codes): Draft 57 FR 40028 - 40029 (9/1/92) Final 58 FR 11601 - 11602 (2/26/93) |
Cabot Corp., Tuscola, IL | Nov. 6, 1990 | 2007 | Draft 55 FR 34739 - 34744(8/24/90) Final 55 FR 49340 - 49341 (11/27/90) |
|
March 5, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2027 | Draft (PDF) (10 pp, 54K) (12/28/09) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 174K) 75 FR 30392 - 30393 (6/1/10) |
||
ArcelorMittal Hennepin Hennepin, IL (Originally LTV Steel Co.) (Well plugged in 2014.) |
July 24, 1990 | 2007 | Draft 55 FR 19032 - 19036 (5/7/90) Final 55 FR 32294 (8/8/90) |
|
Mar. 3, 2009 | 12/31/2028 | Draft (PDF) (11 pp, 427K) (11/24/08) Approval of a Petition for Exemption From Hazardous Waste Disposal Injection Restrictions to ArcelorMittal Hennepin, Inc., Hennepin, IL (PDF) (2 pp, 48 K) 74 FR 9241 - 9242 (3/3/09) |
||
Indiana | ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, LLC, Burns Harbor, IN (Originally Bethlehem Steel Corp.) |
Aug. 8, 1990 | 2007 | Draft: 55 FR 8527 - 8532 (3/8/90) Final: 55 FR 32293 - 32294 (8/8/90) |
Oct. 25, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2027 | Draft (PDF) (12 pp, 498K) (2/19/10) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 57K) (10/25/10) |
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Mar. 6, 2015 | Dec. 31, 2027 | Added Waste Ammonia Liquor Well #3: Draft (PDF) (14 pp, 693K) (10/30/14) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 177K) (3/6/15) |
||
US Steel Corp., Portage, IN (well plugged 10/09) (Originally Midwest Division of National Steel Corp.) |
Aug. 8, 1990 | 2007 | Draft 55 FR 2691 - 2695 (1/26/90) Final 55 FR 33373 - 33374 (8/15/90) |
|
Michigan | Environmental Disposal Systems, Inc., Romulus, MI Commercial Hazardous Waste Disposal |
Mar. 16, 2004 | 2026 | Notice of Intent To Grant an Exemption
for the Injection of Certain Hazardous Wastes to Environmental Disposal Systems, Inc. for Two Injection Wells Located at
28470 Citrin Drive, Romulus, MI (PDF) (14 pp, 671 K) Draft 67 FR 77981 - 77994 (12/20/02) Underground Injection Control Program Hazardous Waste Disposal Injection Restrictions Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Environmental Disposal Systems, Inc., Romulus, MI (PDF) (15 pp, 104 K) Final 69 FR 15328 - 15342 (3/25/04) |
Pharmacia & Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI | Feb. 27, 1990 | 2014 | Draft (PDF) (6 pp, 752K) 54 FR 42448 - 42453 (10/16/89) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 281K) 54 FR 7934 - 7935 (3/6/90) 1997 Modification (four additional waste codes, increased volume): Final 62 FR 47205 (9/8/97) |
|
Renewal application received July 28, 2014 |
Dec. 31, 2039 | Under review | ||
Warner-Lambert Co., Pfizer Global Manufacturing , Holland, MI (Originally Parke-Davis) |
Apr. 6, 1998 | Feb. 28, 2009 | Draft (3/2/98) Final: Underground Injection Control Program, Hazardous Waste Disposal Injection Restrictions Petition for Exemption--Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Parke-Davis Division, Warner-Lambert Company of Morris Plains, NJ, Holland, MI Plant (PDF) (1 pg, 12 K) 63 FR 23786 (4/30/98) |
|
Sept. 24, 2014 | Added four waste codes: Draft PDF (5/7/14) (2 pp, 326K) Final PDF (9/24/14) (1 p, 98K) 79 FR 57079 |
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Renewal application received Sept. 8, 2010 |
Oct. 2035 | Under review | ||
Ohio | AK Steel Co., Middletown, OH (Formerly Armco Steel) |
July 30, 1990 | 2007 | Draft 55 FR 21236 - 21240 (5/23/90) Final 55 FR 33373 (8/15/90) |
Oct. 30, 2008 | Oct. 1, 2017 | Draft (PDF) (10 pp, 1.1M) (6/21/08) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 174K) (10/3/08) 73 FR 64614-64615 |
||
Ineos USA LLC , Lima, OH (Formerly BP Chemicals, Inc.) |
May 7, 1992 | 2011 | Draft 57 FR 8753 - 8759 (3/12/92) Final 57 FR 23094 - 23095 (6/1/92) 1993 Modification (add Well #4): Draft 58 FR 30926 -30927 (5/27/93) Final (PDF) (2 pp, 282K) 58 FR 50920 - 50921 (9/29/93) 1995 Modification: Intent To Grant BP Chemicals, Inc. a Modification of an Exem: Federal Register: EPA (PDF) (3 pp, 151 K) Draft 60 FR 37892 - 37894 (7/24/95) Notice of Final Decision To Grant BP Chemicals, Inc. a Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (PDF) (2 pp, 24 K) Final 60 FR 51476 - 51477 (10/2/95) |
|
Renewal application received Aug. 18, 2005 |
Jan. 31, 2025 | Under review | ||
Vickery Environmental, Vickery, OH (formerly Chemical Waste Management, Inc.) Commercial Hazardous Waste Disposal |
Aug. 7, 1990 | 2009 |
Draft 55 FR 24629 - 24636 (6/18/90) Final 55 FR 34734 - 34736 (8/24/90) 1995 Modification (additional waste codes): Notice of Final Decision To Grant Chemical Waste Management, Inc. a Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of Hazardous Wastes (PDF) (3 pp, 101 K) Final 60 FR 29592 - 29594 (6/5/95) 1996 Modification (additional waste codes): Notice of Final Decision To Grant Chemical Waste Management, Inc., a Modification of An Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Solid and Waste Disposal Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of Hazardous Wastes (PDF) (2 pp, 20 K) Final 61 FR 36880 - 36881 (7/15/96) 1997 Modification (11 additional waste codes): Final Decision To Grant Chemical Waste Management, Inc. a Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of Hazardous Wastes (PDF) (3 pp, 36 K) Final 63 FR 43109 - 43111 (8/12/97) 2002 Modification (additional waste codes): Notice of Final Decision To Grant Vickery Environmental, Incorporated a Modification of an Exemption From the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 Regarding Injection of Hazardous Wastes (PDF) (3 pp, 41 K) Final 67 FR 20971 - 20973 (4/29/02) |
|
Renewal application received October 2007 |
June 2027 | Draft PDF (15 pp, 740K) Response to Comments PDF (3 pp, 272K) Notice of Final Decision To Reissue the Vickery Environmental, Inc. Land ban Exemption PDF (5 pp, 207K) Final 80 FR 16374 – 16378 (3/27/15) |
*The Modeling Period is the projected operational period of the well that was used in the demonstration of no migration. See the discussion of the containment of wastes under the land ban program mentioned above for more information.
**Notices are published in the Federal Register announcing all final decisions. Links will be added here as the documents are made available on the internet. If a document you wish to see is not linked, please contact us.
Withdrawn Petitions in Region 5
Withdrawn Petitions | ||
State | Facility | Withdrawal Date |
---|---|---|
Indiana | Inland Steel Corp., East Chicago, IN | July 30, 1990 |
USX Corp., Gary, IN | Jan. 12, 1990 | |
Michigan | BASF Corp., Holland, MI | Nov. 9, 1990 |
Detroit Coke, Detroit, MI | Nov. 20, 1991 | |
Total Petroleum, Alma, MI | Aug. 27, 1991 | |
Ohio | Aristech Chemical Corp., Haverhill, OH | Sept. 29, 1990 |
Information for Petitioners
We have a detailed explanation of what is expected to be included in petitions (whether or not a UIC permit application is being submitted).
Information Sheet for Owner/Operators of Class 1HW Injection Wells Who Are Submitting Simultaneous Applications for Permit and Exemptions to the RCRA Land Ban PDF (55 pp, 161K) July 2006
Companies submitting petitions for exemption from the land disposal restrictions are required to submit copies of all external documents referenced with the petition. However, if the Region 5 UIC office has a copy of the document on file, the petition may reference the copy on file. In these cases, the petitioner does not need to submit a copy of the external document. The documents in this general land ban administrative record are found in the List of Documents.
U.S. EPA Region 6 (EPA's Dallas, TX office) UIC program has also prepared a web page about land ban issues.
Links to Land Ban Regulations and EPA Headquarters Guidance
Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) contains the regulations applicable to these activities and can be searched over the Internet.
- Part 146, Subpart G -Underground Injection Control Program: Criteria and Standards Applicable to Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Wells, imposes more stringent permit requirements for hazardous waste disposal wells.
- Part 148, Hazardous Waste Injection Restrictions, sets rules for UIC land ban implementation and sets standards and procedures for the petition process.
- Part 268, Land Disposal Restrictions,
provides more details:
- Subpart A - General
- Subpart B - Schedule for Land Disposal Prohibition and Establishment of Treatment Standards
- Subpart C - Prohibitions on Land Disposal
- Subpart D - Treatment Standards
- Subpart E - Prohibitions on Storage
EPA headquarters has issued several guidance documents related to land ban exemptions.
# | Date | Title |
---|---|---|
69 | 6/19/90 | Guidance for Case-by-Case Extension Petitions for Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Wells with Submitted No Migration Petitions (PDF) 5 pp, 184K) |
71 | 10/17/90 | Determination of "Hazardous Levels" for "No Migration" Demonstrations Pursuant to 40 CFR 148.20 (PDF) (51pp, 177K) |
73 | 1/31/91 | Incorporation of UIC "No Migration" Petition Conditions into Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Well Permits (PDF) (4pp, 150K) |
74 | 2/13/91 | Modification of Class I Hazardous Waste Injection Well "No Migration" Exemptions (PDF) (8pp, 369K) |
EPA headquarters has also prepared a technical memorandum related to land ban exemptions.
Date | Title |
---|---|
4/27/89 | UIC Land Ban Petitions; Common Deficiencies (PDF) (11pp, 614K) |
In addition, one short section of the Technical Program Overview: Underground Injection Control Regulations (PDF) (87pp, 1.16M) (pages 18 - 19) discusses land ban exemptions.