April 26, 2002

Waste Board Meeting

At its April 25, 2002, regular meeting, the Waste Board took the following actions.

• Voted to adopt Amendment 2 of the Regulated Medical Waste Regulations (9VAC20-120-10) as Final Regulations.
• Voted to adopt Amendment 1 of the Voluntary Remediation Regulations (9VAC20-160-10) as Final Regulations, with an effective date of
July 1, 2002.
• Voted to approve the Proposed Regulations for Amendment 3 of the Virginia Solid Waste Management Regulations (9VAC20-80-10).

Regarding Amendment 3 of the Virginia Solid Waste Management Regulations (VSWMR), the Board specifically approved modifications made to VSWMR Amendment 3 previously brought before the Board in January 2002. The modifications address the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director’s determination of need for additional disposal capacity for permitting new landfills or expansions. A copy of the revised language was not made available; however, Mike Dieter of DEQ summarized the modifications. One revision is that, for expansions to existing facilities, the facility must have less than 10 years of expected life remaining as one of the components to demonstrate a need for the capacity (this is increased from 5 years in the previous version of Amendment 3). DEQ has retained the previous language regarding permitting no more than 20 years of capacity. DEQ has also retained the previous requirements for less than 20 years of capacity in the state and/or less than 20 years of capacity in the adjacent planning region or within a 75-mile radius of the proposed facility.

Also, Karen Sismour, DEQ’s Waste Division Director, reported that DEQ would use emergency regulations to implement the permit fee increases passed by the 2002 General Assembly. Water and waste permit fees will triple.

As a final note, DEQ Director Bob Burnley has named Richard F. Weeks deputy director for operations to oversee the agency’s programs for air quality, water quality, and waste management.