[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR1.47]
[Page 20-21]
TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
PART 1_STATEMENT OF ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION--Table of
Contents
Subpart B_Headquarters
Sec. 1.47 Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), under the
supervision of the Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency
Response, provides Agencywide policy, guidance, and direction for the
Agency's solid and hazardous wastes and emergency response programs.
This Office has primary responsibility for implementing the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA--``Superfund''). In
addition to managing those programs, the Assistant Administrator serves
as principal adviser to the Administrator in matters pertaining to them.
The Assistant Administrator's responsibilities include: Program policy
development and evaluation; development of appropriate hazardous waste
standards and regulations; ensuring compliance with applicable laws and
regulations; program policy guidance and overview, technical support,
and evaluation of Regional solid and hazardous wastes and emergency
response activities; development of programs for technical,
programmatic, and compliance assistance to States and local governments;
development of guidelines and standards for the land disposal of
hazardous wastes; analyses of the recovery of useful energy from solid
waste; development and implementation of a program to respond to
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and spills (including oil spills);
long-term strategic planning and special studies; economic and long-term
environmental analyses; economic impact assessment of RCRA and CERCLA
regulations; analyses of alternative technologies and trends; and cost-
benefit analyses and development of OSWER environmental criteria.
(a) Office of Waste Programs Enforcement. The Office of Waste
Programs Enforcement (OWPE), under the supervision of a Director,
manages a national program of technical compliance and enforcement under
CERCLA and RCRA. The Office provides guidance and support for the
implementation of the CERCLA and RCRA compliance and enforcement
programs. This includes the development of program strategies, long-term
and yearly goals, and the formulation of budgets and plans to support
implementation of strategies and goals. The Office provides program
guidance through the development and issuance of policies, guidance and
other documents and through training and technical assistance. The
Office oversees and supports Regions and States in the implementation of
the CERCLA and RCRA enforcement programs. The Office may assume
responsibility for direct management of a limited number of CERCLA and
RCRA enforcement actions which are multi-regional in nature or are cases
of national significance. The Office serves as the national technical
expert for all matters relating to CERCLA and RCRA compliance and
enforcement. It represents the interest of the CERCLA and RCRA
enforcement programs to other offices of the Agency. In coordination
with the Office of External Affairs (OEA) and IO-OSWER, represents the
program to external organizations, including the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB), Congress, U.S. Department of Justice and other Federal
agencies, the media, public interest and industry groups, State and
local governments and their associations and the public.
(b) Office of Solid Waste. The Office of Solid Waste, under the
supervision of a Director, is responsible for the solid and hazardous
waste activities of the
[[Page 21]]
Agency. In particular, this Office is responsible for implementing the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The Office provides program
policy direction to and evaluation of such activities throughout the
Agency and establishes solid and hazardous wastes research requirements
for EPA.
(c) Office of Emergency and Remedial Response. The Office of
Emergency and Remedial Response, under the supervision of a Director, is
responsible for the emergency and remedial response functions of the
Agency (i.e., CERCLA). The Office is specifically responsible for:
(1) Developing national strategy, programs, technical policies,
regulations, and guidelines for the control of abandoned hazardous waste
sites, and response to and prevention of oil and hazardous substance
spills;
(2) Providing direction, guidance, and support to the Environmental
Response Teams and overseeing their activities;
(3) Providing direction, guidance, and support to the Agency's non-
enforcement emergency and remedial response programs, including
emergency and remedial responses to hazardous waste sites;
(4) Developing national accomplishment plans and resources;
(5) Scheduling the guidelines for program plans;
(6) Assisting in the training of personnel;
(7) Monitoring and evaluating the performance, progress, and fiscal
status of the Regions in implementing emergency and remedial response
program plans;
(8) Maintaining liaison with concerned public and private national
organizations for emergency response;
(9) Supporting State emergency response programs; and
(10) Coordinating Office activities with other EPA programs.
(d) Office of Underground Storage Tanks. The Office of Underground
Storage Tanks, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for
defining, planning, and implementing regulation of underground storage
tanks containing petroleum, petroleum products, and chemical products.
In particular, this Office is responsible for overseeing implementation
of Subtitle I of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as
amended. The Office develops and promulgates regulations and policies
including notification, tank design and installation, corrective action,
and State program approvals. It also plans for an oversees utilization
of the Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund established by the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA).
[50 FR 26721, June 28, 1985, as amended at 52 FR 30360, Aug. 14, 1987]
