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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 6983. Coordination, collection, and dissemination of information
(a) Information
The Administrator shall develop, collect, evaluate, and
coordinate information on -
(1) methods and costs of the collection of solid waste;
(2) solid waste management practices, including data on the
different management methods and the cost, operation, and
maintenance of such methods;
(3) the amounts and percentages of resources (including energy)
that can be recovered from solid waste by use of various solid
waste management practices and various technologies;
(4) methods available to reduce the amount of solid waste that
is generated;
(5) existing and developing technologies for the recovery of
energy or materials from solid waste and the costs, reliability,
and risks associated with such technologies;
(6) hazardous solid waste, including incidents of damage
resulting from the disposal of hazardous solid wastes; inherently
and potentially hazardous solid wastes; methods of neutralizing
or properly disposing of hazardous solid wastes; facilities that
properly dispose of hazardous wastes;
(7) methods of financing resource recovery facilities or,
sanitary landfills, or hazardous solid waste treatment
facilities, whichever is appropriate for the entity developing
such facility or landfill (taking into account the amount of
solid waste reasonably expected to be available to such entity);
(8) the availability of markets for the purchase of resources,
either materials or energy, recovered from solid waste; and
(9) research and development projects respecting solid waste
management.
(b) Library
(1) The Administrator shall establish and maintain a central
reference library for (A) the materials collected pursuant to
subsection (a) of this section and (B) the actual performance and
cost effectiveness records and other data and information with
respect to -
(i) the various methods of energy and resource recovery from
solid waste,
(ii) the various systems and means of resource conservation,
(iii) the various systems and technologies for collection,
transport, storage, treatment, and final disposition of solid
waste, and
(iv) other aspects of solid waste and hazardous solid waste
management.
Such central reference library shall also contain, but not be
limited to, the model codes and model accounting systems developed
under this section, the information collected under subsection (d)
of this section, and, subject to any applicable requirements of
confidentiality, information respecting any aspect of solid waste
provided by officers and employees of the Environmental Protection
Agency which has been acquired by them in the conduct of their
functions under this chapter and which may be of value to Federal,
State, and local authorities and other persons.
(2) Information in the central reference library shall, to the
extent practicable, be collated, analyzed, verified, and published
and shall be made available to State and local governments and
other persons at reasonable times and subject to such reasonable
charges as may be necessary to defray expenses of making such
information available.
(c) Model accounting system
In order to assist State and local governments in determining the
cost and revenues associated with the collection and disposal of
solid waste and with resource recovery operations, the
Administrator shall develop and publish a recommended model cost
and revenue accounting system applicable to the solid waste
management functions of State and local governments. Such system
shall be in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles. The Administrator shall periodically, but not less
frequently than once every five years, review such accounting
system and revise it as necessary.
(d) Model codes
The Administrator is authorized, in cooperation with appropriate
State and local agencies, to recommend model codes, ordinances, and
statutes, providing for sound solid waste management.
(e) Information programs
(1) The Administrator shall implement a program for the rapid
dissemination of information on solid waste management, hazardous
waste management, resource conservation, and methods of resource
recovery from solid waste, including the results of any relevant
research, investigations, experiments, surveys, studies, or other
information which may be useful in the implementation of new or
improved solid waste management practices and methods and
information on any other technical, managerial, financial, or
market aspect of resource conservation and recovery facilities.
(2) The Administrator shall develop and implement educational
programs to promote citizen understanding of the need for
environmentally sound solid waste management practices.
(f) Coordination
In collecting and disseminating information under this section,
the Administrator shall coordinate his actions and cooperate to the
maximum extent possible with State and local authorities.
(g) Special restriction
Upon request, the full range of alternative technologies,
programs or processes deemed feasible to meet the resource recovery
or resource conservation needs of a jurisdiction shall be described
in such a manner as to provide a sufficient evaluative basis from
which the jurisdiction can make its decisions, but no officer or
employee of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, in an
official capacity, lobby for or otherwise represent an agency
position in favor of resource recovery or resource conservation, as
a policy alternative for adoption into ordinances, codes,
regulations, or law by any State or political subdivision thereof.
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