What RCRA Means for Property Buyers and Lenders

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the federal law that governs how solid and hazardous waste is generated, transported, treated, stored, and disposed of in the United States. For anyone buying, financing, or insuring commercial property, understanding RCRA is essential.

• Why RCRA matters in property transactions:
• Facilities that generate, transport, or dispose of hazardous waste are tracked in the RCRA Info database. Properties that appear on this list, particularly those with active or historic violations, can face significant cleanup liability, regulatory restrictions on future use, and lender hesitation.

• Key RCRA categories to watch:
• Large Quantity Generators (LQGs): Facilities generating 2,200+ lbs of hazardous waste per month. Typically active industrial operations.
• Small Quantity Generators (SQGs): Smaller operations, but still tracked and subject to full RCRA requirements.
• RCRA Corrective Action: The most significant flag. These are facilities with documented releases of hazardous waste that require formal cleanup. Some corrective action sites remain active for decades.
• RCRA Closed: Former hazardous waste handlers. Closure doesn't guarantee clean. It means the facility stopped operating under RCRA, not that contamination was remediated.

• What to do if a RCRA facility appears near your property:
• Distance matters. A RCRA facility a quarter mile away on a different hydrogeologic gradient is very different from one directly upgradient of your site. A Geoscope report maps every RCRA facility within the search distance and lists each one by distance and direction, so the closest records are easy to find.

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