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 Resource Conservation and Recovery. The Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, under the supervision of a Director, is responsible for the solid and hazardous waste activities of the 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; 74 FR 30229, June 25, 2009]