Non-regulatory Public Docket: Municipal Solid Waste Landfills
October 25, 2024 - As part of EPA’s strategy to learn more about new and emerging technologies and alternative methodologies for regulating emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, EPA has opened a non-regulatory docket to gather input on ways we can streamline, improve, and harmonize the current suite of emissions regulations that cover these sources. The non-regulatory docket will be open for public comment for 90 days – through January 23, 2025.
As part of this effort, EPA has developed a series of white papers on new and emerging technologies, alternative approaches to regulating landfill emissions, and landfill work practice methodologies that may assist with future rulemaking. White papers covering the following topics are included in the nonregulatory docket:
- Summary of state and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) rules
- Organic waste diversion
- Reducing lag time for gas control system installation and operation
- Landfill size thresholds
- Increasing landfill gas collection rates
- Improvements in daily cover practices
- Improvements in intermediate and final covers
- Aerial monitoring
EPA anticipates releasing three additional white papers in the near future. These additional white papers will be located in the non-regulatory docket once they are available.
EPA is accepting comment on these white papers through the non-regulatory docket. See below for instructions on how to submit information to the non-regulatory docket. EPA encourages all interested parties, including technology developers, landfill operators, communities with environmental justice concerns, environmental justice leaders, environmental groups, and state, local, and Tribal air agencies, to provide information to the non-regulatory docket.
EPA will provide a separate opportunity for public comment on any future proposed rulemaking(s) for landfills through a formal comment period announced in the Federal Register.
Directions for Submitting Information:
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0453, using one of the following methods:
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Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov (our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting input or information.
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Email: a-and-r-docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0453 in the subject line of the message.
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Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, Docket Center, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0453 , Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20460.
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Hand Delivery or Courier: EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center’s hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday (except Federal Holidays). Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make.