Washington v. Abraham

354 F. Supp. 2d 1178, 35 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20032, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4809, 2005 WL 273117
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Washington
DecidedJanuary 24, 2005
DocketCV-03-5018-AAM
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 354 F. Supp. 2d 1178 (Washington v. Abraham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Washington v. Abraham, 354 F. Supp. 2d 1178, 35 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20032, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4809, 2005 WL 273117 (E.D. Wash. 2005).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT, INTER ALIA

MCDONALD, Senior District Judge.

BEFORE THE COURT are plaintiffs Motion For Partial Summary Judgment On HWMA Claim (Ct.Rec.122) and defendants’ Cross-Motion For Partial Summary Judgment On Plaintiffs HWMA Claim (Ct. Rec.145).

These motions were heard with oral argument on January 11, 2005. Andrew A. Fitz, Esq., argued for the plaintiff. Michael Zevenbergen, Esq., argued for the defendants.

I. BACKGROUND

In its original complaint, plaintiff State of Washington sought declaratory and injunctive relief against defendants Spencer Abraham, Secretary of the United States Department of Energy, and the Department of Energy itself (DOE), alleging DOE had decided to ship radioactive and radioactive/hazardous mixed transuranic waste to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Hanford) in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and in violation of Washington’s Hazardous Waste Management Act (HWMA). On May 9, 2003, this court entered a preliminary injunction against defendants, enjoining them from making any further shipments of transuranic waste (TRU) to Hanford pending final resolution of this litigation. The preliminary injunction was issued based on the court’s finding there were “serious questions” regarding a NEPA violation and the balance of hardships tipped in favor of the State.

The State filed an amended complaint on August 19, 2004 which re-alleges the NEPA and HWMA claims. Both the State and defendants now move for summary judgment with respect to the HWMA claim, set forth as Count 3 in the amended complaint.

II. DISCUSSION

The State of Washington administers a hazardous waste program authorized under the federal Resource and Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq. This program includes the HWMA, RCW 70.105. The State contends TRU mixed with non-radioactive hazardous waste (TRUM) which DOE intends to ship to Hanford from Battelle Columbus Laboratory in Ohio will violate the HWMA and its implementing regulations, Washington Administrative Code (WAG) 173- *1180 303, once it arrives at Hanford. 1 This is so, according to the State, because this additional waste is “land-disposal restricted” (LDR) and will not be stored at Han-ford solely for the purpose of accumulating enough hazardous waste as necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment or disposal. WAC 173-303-140(2)(a) and 40 C.F.R. § 268.50(a)(2). 2 The State contends Hanford already has more than enough LDR waste which is in violation of the HWMA because it is not being stored solely for the purpose of facilitating proper recovery, treatment or disposal thereof. According to the State, this violation will continue unabated for as long as TRUM is stored at Hanford unless DOE provides for treatment of the waste to LDR standards or is subject to an enforceable compliance schedule that provides for certification dates for the waste to be moved to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located in New Mexico, in lieu of such treatment.

A treatment, storage or disposal facility may store LDR wastes for up to one year unless the State can demonstrate , such storage is not solely for the purpose, of accumulating such quantities of hazardous waste as necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment, or disposal. 40 C.F.R. § 268.50(b). If such storage extends beyond one year, the facility has the burden of proving the storage is solely for the purpose of accumulating sufficient quantities to facilitate proper recovery, treatment or disposal. 40 C.F.R. § 268.50(c). According to the State, DOE does not intend to ship off-site TRUM to Hanford solely to allow for the accumulation of such quantities of hazardous waste as necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment or disposal, but rather to shift such waste away from other sites to allow the early closure of those sites; a lack of current characterization capacity at those other sites; and a desire by DOE to eliminate storage currently utilized for TRUM at those other sites.

DOE contends 1996 amendments to the 1992 WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) 3 , Pub.L. 102-579, 106 Stat. 4777 (1992), preclude the State from applying HWMA LDR provisions to TRUM bound for Han-ford or already stored there. The amended Act, Section 9(a)(1) 4 , provides that:

With respect to transuranic mixed waste designated by the Secretary for disposal at WIPP, such waste is exempt from treatment standards promulgated pursuant to section 3004(m) of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6924(m)) and shall not ■ be subject to the land disposal prohibitions in section 3004(d), (e), (f), and (g) of the Solid Waste Dis-posal Act. 5

According to DOE, TRUM bound for Hanford or already stored there has been *1181 “designated by the Secretary [of the Department of Energy] for disposal at WIPP” and therefore, is not subject to treatment standards or land disposal prohibitions. DOE asserts that TRUM exempt from the land disposal prohibitions of section 3004(d), (e), (f), and (g) (42 U.S.C. § 6924(d), (e), (f), and (g)) is necessarily exempt from the storage prohibition in section 3004© (42 U.S.C. § 6924©). § 3004© provides:

In the case of any hazardous waste which is prohibited from one or more methods of land disposal under this section [§ 3004] (or under any regulations promulgated by the [EPA] Administrator under any provision of this section) the storage of such hazardous waste is prohibited unless such storage is solely for the purpose of the accumulation of such quantities of hazardous waste as are necessary to facilitate proper recovery, treatment or disposal.

(Emphasis added).

DOE acknowledges that while Section 9(a)(1) explicitly precludes application of the LDR provisions of the federal RCRA, it does not explicitly prohibit the application of similar requirements under state law. Nevertheless, DOE asserts those state law requirements are preempted because they would preclude “accomplishment of the full purposes and objectives of’ the amended LWA.

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Bluebook (online)
354 F. Supp. 2d 1178, 35 Envtl. L. Rep. (Envtl. Law Inst.) 20032, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4809, 2005 WL 273117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/washington-v-abraham-waed-2005.