25 years of Successful Pantex Waste Operations
Pantex Waste Operations has successfully completed its 25th consecutive Annual Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Waste Site Inspection with no violations, weakness or findings identified. The inspection was conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Region 1 on May 13-15.
Pat Moon, Waste Operations Department Manager said, “This is a significant accomplishment that is a result of the day to day attention to detail and implementation of compliance requirements by multiple Pantex organizations and personnel and shows a true commitment to excellence in the management of waste. Vigilance in meeting regulatory requirements and continuous improvement never ends as evidenced by our one self-reported non-compliance during the last 25 years that was related to shipment of waste to an unauthorized facility.”
Pantex’s Hazardous Waste Permit, issued by the State of Texas, authorizes Pantex to store and process hazardous and industrial waste. The inspection confirmed compliance with permit requirements and included facility walk-downs of all hazardous waste permitted locations, all less than 90-day central accumulation areas, all satellite accumulation areas, and various non-hazardous waste accumulation sites in Zone 12 South. The inspection also included a comprehensive records review to ensure compliance documentation met requirements of the Hazardous Waste Permit and applicable State and Federal regulations.
At the same time that the RCRA inspection was occurring, the TCEQ also completed a Texas Tier Two Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA) inspection and a Regulated Petroleum Storage Tank inspection. The EPCRA inspection was conducted to confirm that Pantex has plans and procedures in place to respond to an emergency and alert the public in the case of an event related to hazardous chemicals.
The Regulated Petroleum Storage Tank inspection was conducted to confirm that Pantex’s equipment and compliance demonstration documentation met applicable requirements and that the environment was being protected by comprehensive system monitoring. These inspections were also completed with no issues identified.