As table 1 shows, the most recent RCRA inspections of fuel blending facilities in the five states identified at least one minor violation of treatment, storage, and disposal regulations at 23 of the 34 facilities. These violations included, among others, inadequately labeling hazardous waste storage containers, having incomplete records for training and equipment inspections, and failing to submit estimates of the costs of closing facilities and maintaining sites. According to state officials, these types of violations generally are corrected at the time of the inspection or shortly thereafter. The significant violations included having waste containers in poor condition, storing waste that was not approved under the facility’s operating permit, and having inadequate backup systems for containing leaks of hazardous waste. To provide information on the nature and severity of the violations of RCRA’s treatment, storage, and disposal and boiler and industrial furnace regulations by fuel blenders and cement producers, we asked state and EPA regional officials to (1) describe or provide examples of any violations that were identified during the most recent inspections of the fuel blending and cement production facilities and (2) characterize these violations as either minor or significant on the basis of each state’s or EPA region’s criteria for making such determinations or, in lieu of such criteria, their professional judgment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed separate sets of regulations for facilities operating in interim status and with a final operating permit. State inspections also identified significant violations at five facilities, including using storage containers in poor condition, storing hazardous waste in excess of allowed capacity, and inadequately analyzing waste. EPA officials are reviewing the results of these inspections and related information to determine whether violations occurred.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on five states' cement production facility inspections, focusing on their compliance with various Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations for processing hazardous waste fuels.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) there was at least one minor violation of treatment, storage, and disposal regulations at 23 of the cement production facilities reviewed; (2) these violations included the inadequate labeling of hazardous waste storage containers, incomplete records of training and equipment inspections, and failure to submit cost estimates for facility maintenance and operation; (3) these violations were generally corrected at the time of inspection or shortly thereafter; (4) significant violations occurred at 11 hazardous waste fuel burning facilities; (5) these facilities had storage containers in poor condition, stored waste in excess of allowed capacity, and used inadequate backup systems for hazardous waste leaks; (6) one of the facilities reviewed had violated boiler and industrial furnace regulations; and (7) the results of these inspections are incomplete, since the Environmental Protection Agency is still reviewing relevant data from the most recent inspections.