Moving waste to a different backyard: EPA increases regulatory oversight of hazardous waste imports and exports

On January 8, 2010, almost ten years after the United States committed in an international agreement to strengthen its hazardous waste regulations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) issued a final rule that governs the shipping of hazardous waste between the United States and other countries. According to EPA, the new measures will increase regulatory oversight of the international shipping of hazardous waste and provide stricter controls. The final rule, which will be effective July 10, 2010, is also designed to make international shipment regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) more consistent with those of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”), a consortium of 31 member countries that includes the United States.