What law serves as the foundation for the EPA hazardous waste regulations?

The foundation for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hazardous waste regulations is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Enacted in 1976, RCRA was designed to address the management of hazardous waste from its creation to disposal. It establishes a framework for the proper handling, treatment, storage, and cleanup of hazardous materials. One of the key objectives of RCRA is to protect human health and the environment by ensuring that hazardous waste is managed safely and responsibly.

RCRA also provides guidelines for the generation, transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes, and it sets forth standards that facilities must meet to prevent harm to the environment and public health. Because of these comprehensive regulatory elements, RCRA is instrumental in shaping how hazardous waste is managed in the United States.

While other acts like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act also focus on environmental protection, they do so in different contexts—water pollution and air quality, respectively. The Superfund Act, established to clean up contaminated sites, is also relevant but does not primarily govern hazardous waste management in the same way that RCRA does.