RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND RECOVERY ACT (1976)
RCRA gave EPA the authority to control hazardous waste from the "cradle-to-grave."
This includes the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of
hazardous waste.
RCRA also set forth a framework for the management of non-hazardous wastes.
The 1986 amendments to RCRA enabled EPA to address environmental problems
that could result from underground tanks storing petroleum and other hazardous substances.
RCRA focuses only on active and future facilities and does not address abandoned or historical sites.
The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) are the 1984
amendments to RCRA that required phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste.
Some of the other mandates of this strict law include increased enforcement authority for EPA,
more stringent hazardous waste management standards, and a comprehensive underground storage tank program.