Friday, February 2, 2024

Nebraska DEQ schedules public meeting on proposed revisions to state's hazardous waste regulations

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality’s (NDEQ) Waste Management Division will discuss its proposed amendments to the Nebraska Hazardous Waste Regulations including the adoption of several federal revisions on Jan. 27 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The proposed amendments are to Title 128 of the regulations, specifically addressing the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW), in Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5 and Appendix V; permitting processes in chapters 12, 13, 14 and 15; and management of used cathode ray tubes (CRTs), in Chapters 1 and 2.

The Waste Management Division proposes updating the DSW in line with federal revisions, which will promote recycling and reclaiming of more hazardous secondary materials in a way that prevents risks to human and environmental health. The division similarly proposes adopting federal revisions to the management requirements for recycling CRTs and their glass, which will see the process streamlined and keep Nebraska in compliance with state program equivalency.

The divisions seeks to adopt federal provisions concerning public participation in the permitting process for hazardous waste management units, including a public meeting in the pre-application stages and creation of an information repository for data on some applicants.

The meeting on Jan. 27 will be at the NDEQ headquarters at 2 p.m. and have an open house format.