New hazardous waste management system: regulation of wastes or wasted regulation

The unsound management of hazardous wastes, as exemplified by Love Canal, causes a variety of environmental and health problems. A review of present state controls reveals the need for the Federal regulation that was incorporated in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA). A detailed description of RCRA, however, faults the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for deferring regulation and for its failure to meet deadlines, issue standards, or include many dangerous wastes in the prohibited list. EPA's interim standards of essentially voluntary guidelines will offer little protection from contamination until final permit regulations are established. 326 references. (DCK)