# 2026-12927: EPA Lets High-Mercury Waste Take Cross-Country Road Trip 2026-12927, U.S. Ecology Nevada, Inc. High Mercury Subcategory Wastes Land Disposal Restrictions Variance, is a Federal Register rule from Environmental Protection Agency published 2026-06-26, effective 2026-07-27; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-03). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12927 - As of: 2026-07-03 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-12927 - Title: U.S. Ecology Nevada, Inc. High Mercury Subcategory Wastes Land Disposal Restrictions Variance - Type: Rule - Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency - Citation: 91 FR 38540 - Published: 2026-06-26 - Effective: 2026-07-27 - Comments close: not stated - Significant: yes (FR_METADATA) - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 2050-AH21 - Last updated: 2026-07-03 ## In one line EPA Lets High-Mercury Waste Take Cross-Country Road Trip ## Summary The EPA is giving U.S. Ecology Nevada a special green light to handle and dispose of high-mercury waste a bit differently than usual. This means mercury waste treated in Pennsylvania can now be safely sent to U.S. Ecology’s Nevada site for disposal under new rules starting July 27, 2026. This change helps protect people and the environment while keeping mercury waste management efficient and cost-effective. ## Abstract The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting, with conditions, U.S. Ecology Nevada Inc.'s (USE) petition for a site- specific treatability variance (SSTV) from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Land Disposal Restrictions (LDR) treatment standards. USE's petition is for a variance from the existing treatment and disposal standard for elemental mercury waste generated from retorting high mercury waste as prescribed by the LDR technology-based standard of RMERC. The petition demonstrated that the LDR standard for placing elemental mercury waste generated from RMERC back into commerce for reuse is inappropriate and the alternative treatment variance proposed by USE is sufficient to minimize threats to human health and the environment posed by land disposal of the waste. Under the approved SSTV, the existing LDR treatment standard of RMERC will continue to apply to high mercury hazardous wastes, but the elemental mercury generated from this process will be treated and land disposed subject to specified conditions at both Bethlehem Apparatus's facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and USE's Beatty, Nevada, subtitle C treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facility where the treated mercury wastes will be disposed in a designated RCRA subtitle C compliant monofill. ## Effects PRIA read - Site-Specific Allowance to Land-Dispose Mercury: benefit, high. EPA is allowing elemental mercury reclaimed from RMERC of certain high-mercury wastes to be converted to mercuric sulfide (HgS), blended with linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), extruded into a monolith, and land disposed at U.S. Ecology’s permitted Beatty, Nevada subtitle C monofill. This sit… - Mandatory Leaching and Confirmation Testing: cost, medium. U.S. Ecology must meet a concentration-based LDR leaching standard of 0.025 mg/L using TCLP (Method 1311) for HgS waste and perform periodic confirmation testing using LEAF Method 1315 (modified for mercury): two batches quarterly for the first two years, then two batches annually thereafter. USE m… - Strict Siting and Design Limits for Beatty Monofill: mixed, medium. Disposal of treated HgS waste is conditioned on placement in a permitted, segregated RCRA subtitle C monofill at U.S. Ecology’s Beatty, Nevada facility in an arid location; the monofill’s stormwater controls must contain the water volume from a 24-hour, 100-year event and be independent of other fa… - EPA Approval Required for Process Changes: cost, low. Before accepting HgS powder or HgS waste from any facility other than Bethlehem Apparatus (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), or before moving blending/extrusion to Beatty, Nevada, U.S. Ecology must submit a revised petition under 40 CFR 268.44 and demonstrate process equivalency, secure necessary permits,… ## Related documents - [2026-19071](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19071): Partial Repeal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units, 2026-09-17 - [2026-19072](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19072): Rescission of the Greenhouse Gas Findings for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants and Repeal of Regulations for Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Emiss…, 2026-09-17 - [2026-18317](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18317): Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”, 2026-09-09 - [2026-14112](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14112): Amendments and Nonconformance Penalties for Model Year 2027 and Later Heavy-Duty Highway Engines and Amendments to Inducement Provisions fo…, 2026-07-14 - [2026-13667](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13667): Minor New Source Review Program Air Permitting Public Participation Requirements for State Implementation Plans, 2026-07-07 - [2026-13263](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13263): Revisions To Establish the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) for Public Water Systems, 2026-07-01 ## Sources - [2026-12927 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/26/2026-12927/us-ecology-nevada-inc-high-mercury-subcategory-wastes-land-disposal-restrictions-variance) - [2026-12927 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-26/pdf/2026-12927.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-12921, Air Plan Approval; Ohio; Source-Specific Non-CTG RACT and SIP Strengthening for…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12921) - [Next: 2026-12932, Southern California Annual Firework Events for the Los Angeles Long Beach Capta…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12932) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12927 (as of 2026-07-03).