October 5, 2005

Following are five current proposed changes to regulations applicable to the waste industry.  A public meeting will be held to inform the public about each Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA).  If you would like to submit public comments, you may do so at the associated public meeting or during the associated public comment period.

If you want additional information about the NOIRAs, including locations & times of public meetings, visit www.townhall.state.va.us, enter the Town Hall, click on the Regulatory changes Now in progress, and go to Waste Management Board, VA.

Summary

The purpose of this amendment of the Solid Waste Management Regulations is to remove the requirement to conduct a radio advertisement during the variance petition process, as currently required by 9 VAC 20-80-790.B.3.c.  The fast track process will expedite the elimination of the requirement without being part of another extensive revision of the regulations.

The public meeting for this NOIRA will be held on October 11, 2005.

Summary

This amendment of the Regulations for the Development of Solid Waste Management Plans will redefine how the mandatory minimum recycling rate of 25% is to be calculated.  Such redefinition will conform with current recycling practices in the localities and regions.  Further, this amendment will propose that 9 VAC 20-130-165 (Waste Information and Assessment Program) be extracted from the planning regulations, because the provision is duplicated elsewhere in the Virginia Solid Waste Management Regulations at 9 VAC 20-80-115.  In addition, the Waste Information Assessment Program focuses on permitted facilities, while this regulation focuses on Solid Waste Planning Regions.

“Mandatory plan contents” in 9 VAC 20-130-120 and mandatory plan elements required elsewhere throughout 9 VAC 20-130 will be clarified.  The Department proposes rewording these sections to define which plan elements are mandatory, and which, if any, are optional, as consistent with the Virginia Code section and Board policy.  The Department will develop procedures for formation and dissolution of regions, requirements for calculating regional recycling rates, and specifications for variance qualifications.

Additional issues that are identified during the NOIRA comment period, the technical advisory committee meetings, and during the public comment period will be addressed during the development of the proposed regulation.

The public meeting for this NOIRA will be held on October 24, 2005.

Summary

This amendment of the Vegetative Waste Management and Yard Waste Composting Regulations will consider allowing the use of manures and crop waste, exempt under the provisions of 9 VAC 20-80-150.F, to be composted with vegetative waste at permitted vegetative waste and yard waste composting facilities.  Manures and crop wastes can be returned to the soil as fertilizers under the provisions of the VSWMR in 9 VAC 20-80-150.F.  The Vegetative Waste Management Facility and Yard Waste Composting Facility Regulations (at 9 VAC 20-101-140.A) allow exempt operations to accept manures and crop wastes to produce compost under the exemptions and exclusions in Parts II and III of the regulation (9 VAC 20-101-20 through 90).  Permitted vegetative waste management facilities cannot currently accept manures and crop wastes under the provisions of 9 VAC 20-101-10, et seq. 

Clarifications to the provisions for facility standards and permit-by-rule standards that are presented by the technical advisory committee and during public comment periods for the regulation will also be considered.

The public meeting for this NOIRA will be held on October 24, 2005. 

Summary

The purpose of this amendment of the Virginia Solid Waste Management Regulations is to address the following:

• Exemptions and exclusions;
• Open burning;
• Public involvement;
• Research, development and demonstration permits;
• Waste intake rates;
• Notification of the Department of Environmental Quality (department) with respect to local meetings regarding waste;
• Odors and landfill gas;
• Leachate management;
• Bird hazards and military airports;
• Landfill location with respect to water supplies and wetlands;
• Major and minor amendments in table 7.4;
• Timeframe for Part A completeness reviews;
• Waste management plan clarification;
• Landfill reactivation;
• Background groundwater constituent data during Part A application;
• Safety program;
• Permit-by-rule (PBR) facilities compliance with operations plans;
• Clarification of closure timeframes;
• Denial procedures; and
• Definitions.

The need for the amended regulation is to coordinate waste management practices with other agencies and other programs, and to address issues and questions that have arisen since these sections of the regulations were last modified.  The goal is to make the regulations clear and enforceable and to protect human health and the environment.

The public meeting for this NOIRA will be held on October 24, 2005. 

Summary

The Solid Waste Management Regulations, 9 VAC 20-80, require that all facilities have control programs for unauthorized wastes (9 VAC 20-80-113) and that certain types of facilities have routine monitoring, observation and inspections of incoming waste (9 VAC 20-80-250.C and 9 VAC 20-80-370.D).  Amendment 6 of the Solid Waste Management Regulations is intended to improve these requirements for all solid waste management facilities and reduce the risk that unauthorized waste will be treated, stored, or disposed of at a solid waste management facility. 

The public meeting for this NOIRA will be held on October 24, 2005. 

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NOTE:  The last two Joyce Engineering, Inc. Waste Management Facility Operator training classes for 2005 are:

Class II on October 19-20, 2005 and 8-hr. CPE/T Course on November 3, 2005. 

If interested, call Mardea at 804-355-4520 for a registration form.