VIDEO: Responding to EPA’s Consent Decree on CBD 2014 RCRA Petition

In 2014, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate discarded PVC as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA swiftly denied the petition under TSCA but never ruled on the regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The Center for Biological Diversity sued EPA in August 2021 to force the agency to act under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act petition. 

After being compelled recently to address this matter by a court and to avoid further legal action, the EPA proposed a consent decree that includes deadlines for the agency to act. It committed to make a preliminary decision regarding the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition by Jan. 20, 2023, and a final decision by April 12, 2024.