EPA Proposes New HazWaste Plan

Danielle Jackson

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed an action signaling a shift in manufacturing from waste management to productive recycling and resource conservation as part of its initiative to promote innovative ways to recycle waste while reducing the country's reliance on fossil fuels.

Specifically, the EPA's proposal would let certain hazardous byproduct materials to be processed with gasification technology to produce a cleaner, safer power generation source -- a synthetic gas.

According to Marianne Lamont Horinko, EPA assistant administrator for solid waste and emergency response, the proposal would lessen the regulatory burden on the industry while protecting public health and the environment. Horinko said that more initiatives within the plan will be announced later this spring.