Hazardous Waste Generator Rule Requires Professional Engineer to Certify Building Design

The Environmental Protection Agency has emphasized the key role of PEs in hazardous waste management, in yet another victory for the professional engineer and the public health, safety, and welfare. In the EPA’s final version of the Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule, a professional engineer is required to certify that a containment building for hazardous waste complies with specified design standards. The revised rule has several objectives, including reorganizing the hazardous waste generator regulations to make them more user-friendly and thus improve their usability by the regulated community; providing a better understanding of how the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste generator regulatory program works; addressing gaps in the existing regulations to strengthen environmental protection; providing greater flexibility for hazardous waste generators to manage their waste in a cost-effective and protective manner; and making technical corrections and changes to address inadvertent errors. The rulemaking builds upon NSPE’s recent successful advocacy efforts to raise awareness of the key role of professional engineers in engineering projects across the country.