Ecology Focus Model Toxic Control Act Cleanup Regulation Process For Cleanup Of Hazardous Waste Sites May 2001 0001

Process for Cleanup of Hazardous Waste Sites In March of 1989, an innovative, citizen-mandated toxic waste cleanup law went into effect in Washington, changing the way hazardous waste sites in this state are cleaned up. Passed by voters as Initiative 97, this law is known as the Model Toxics Control Act, chapter 70.105D RC'W. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the process for the cleanup of contami- nated sites under the rules Ecology adopted to implement that Act (chapter 173-340 WAC). How the Law Works The cleanup of hazardous waste sites is complex and expensive. In an effort to avoid the confusion and delays associated with the federal Superfund program, the Model Toxics Control Act is designed to be as streamlined as possible. It sets strict cleanup standards to ensure that the quality of cleanup and protection of human health and the environment are not compromised. At the same time, the rules that guide cleanup under the Act have built-in flexibility to allow cleanups to be addressed on a site-specific basis. The Model Toxics Control Act funds hazardous waste cleanup through a tax on the wholesale value of hazardous substances. The tax is imposed on the first in-state possessor of hazardous substances at the rate of 0.7 percent, or $7 per $1,000. Since its passage in 1988, the Act has guided the cleanup of thousands of hazardous waste sites that dot the Washington landscape. The Washington State Department of Ecology’s Toxic Cleanup Program ensures that these sites are…
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