The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $388,397 to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to support programs that manage and reduce hazardous waste.
“Controlling hazardous waste is one of the most effective ways to prevent potential problems and protect communities and the environment,” says EPA Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “Arkansas remains a strong partner in carrying out this vital mission.”
This grant will support a variety of activities within Arkansas’s hazardous waste management program, EPA says. These include controlling the generation, transportation, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste; minimizing hazardous waste production; and protecting public health and the environment from inactive facilities. The funding will also support permitting, corrective action, inspections, enforcement, tracking and pollution-prevention outreach.
EPA regulations call for “cradle-to-grave” management of hazardous waste, meaning these materials must be tracked and properly handled from the time they are created until they are permanently disposed of. Improperly managed hazardous waste poses a serious threat to human health and the environment, EPA says. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), passed in 1976, was established to set up a framework for the proper management of hazardous waste.