Legislative and Regulatory Timeline for Mining Waste
This timeline walks through the history of mining waste regulation since 1976 and includes information such as regulations, proposals, amendments and reports conducted.
| Date(s) | Action or Event | Notes on Significance to Mining Waste |
|---|---|---|
| 10/21/1976 | Enactment of Resource and Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (662 KB) | EPA must perform a “detailed and comprehensive study of the adverse effects of solid wastes from active and abandoned surface and underground mines on the environment…” |
| 12/18/1978 | EPA proposes first set of hazardous waste management standards (PDF) (volume 43 of the Federal Register (FR) starting on page 58945) (63 MB) | Wastes from mining are proposed to be designated as three of the six “special wastes”, which are exempt from RCRA Subtitle C regulations |
| 10/12/1980 | Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendments enacted (pdf) (4.58 MB) | Bevill amendment added: temporarily exempts three special wastes from hazardous waste regulation until further study is completed |
| 11/19/1980 | EPA promulgates interim final amendments to the hazardous waste regulations (pdf) (45 FR 76618)(491 MB) | Includes an exclusion for mining waste from the definition of hazardous waste |
| 10/31/1983 | EPA misses the statutory deadline for submitting mining waste report to Congress | |
| 08/1984 | EPA is sued for failing to submit the report to Congress | EPA responds to the lawsuit by explaining its plan to propose a narrower interpretation of the scope of the Mining Waste Exclusion so that it would encompass fewer wastes |
| 10/2/1985 | EPA proposes in the Federal Register to reinterpret the scope of the mining waste exclusion (pdf)(20.4 MB) | |
| 12/31/1985 | EPA submits a report to Congress | Report on Wastes from the Extraction and Beneficiation of Metallic Ores, Phosphate Rock, Asbestos, Overburden from Uranium Mining, and Oil Shale |
| 07/3/1986 | EPA publishes final Regulatory Determination for Extraction and Beneficiation Waste (pdf)(51.7 MB) | |
| 07/1988 | EPA is sued for withdrawing proposal to reinterpret the mining waste exclusion | |
| 9/1/1989 and 1/23/1990 | EPA publishes in Federal Register the final boundaries of the Mining Waste Exclusion for mineral processing wastes: 9/1/1989 Federal Register notice (pdf)(refer to page 36592)(122 MB) 1/23/1990 Federal Register notice (pdf)(refer to page 2322)(41.8 MB) | |
| 07/31/1990 | EPA submits report to Congress on Special Wastes from Mineral Processing | |
| 06/13/1991 | EPA publishes Special Wastes from Mineral Processing Final Regulatory Determination and Final Rule (pdf)(28.7 MB) | |
| 05/26/1998 | EPA publishes Land Disposal Restrictions Phase IV (pdf)(9.1 MB) | |
| 04/4/2006 | EPA publishes Criteria for the Safe and Environmentally Protective Use of Granular Mine Tailings Known as “Chat" (pdf)(2.1 MB) | |
| 07/18/2007 | EPA formalizes criteria in publication of “Criteria for the Safe and Environmentally Protective Use of Granular Mine Tailings Known as ‘Chat’" (pdf)(2.4 MB) |
Additional Information
Search EPA's Archive for:
- Criteria for the Safe and Environmental Protective Use of Granular Tailings Known as “Chat.”
- Supporting Materials for the May 26, 1998 Land Disposal Restriction Phase.
- Supporting Materials for the December 31, 1985 Report to Congress.
- Notice of Available Data on Wastes from Extraction and Beneficiation, March 1, 1995.
- Identification/Description of Sectors/Waste Streams.
- Applicability of the TCLP to Mineral Processing Wastes.
- Mineral Processing Facilities Placing Mixtures of Exempt and Non-Exempt Waste in On-Site Waste Management Units.
- Remanded Smelting Wastes.
- Lightweight Aggregate Production.
- Titanium Tetrachloride Production.
- Human Health and Environmental Damages.
- Site Visit Reports.
- Regulatory Impact Analysis.
- Capacity Analysis Background Document.
- May 1998 Land Disposal Restrictions Phase IV.