HR6080-119

What This Bill Does

The CLEANER Act of 2025 amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Within one year, EPA must determine whether drilling fluids, produced waters, and other wastes associated with crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal exploration, development, or production meet hazardous-waste listing or identification criteria. EPA must identify or list as hazardous waste any covered wastes that meet those criteria and promulgate regulations under sections 3002, 3003, and 3004 for those hazardous wastes, while allowing modifications that account for special characteristics if they protect human health and the environment. The bill also requires EPA within one year to revise criteria for facilities that may receive covered oil, gas, or geothermal wastes not listed as hazardous. Those criteria must protect human health and the environment and at minimum should require groundwater monitoring as necessary, siting criteria for new or existing facilities, corrective action, and financial assurance as appropriate.

Who Benefits and How

Communities near oil, gas, and geothermal waste sites benefit from stronger federal review of drilling fluids, produced waters, and related wastes. Environmental regulators benefit from a deadline and clear authority to list qualifying exploration and production wastes as hazardous. Groundwater users benefit if facility criteria require monitoring, acceptable location standards, corrective action, and financial assurance. Public health advocates benefit from hazardous-waste rules that must protect human health and the environment.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Oil and gas operators handling drilling fluids, produced waters, and exploration or production wastes may face hazardous-waste management duties. Geothermal energy operators may face new waste-identification, handling, disposal, and facility-standard requirements. EPA hazardous-waste staff must complete determinations, listings, regulations, and facility-criteria revisions within one year. Waste facilities receiving covered nonhazardous wastes may need groundwater monitoring, siting compliance, corrective action, and financial assurance.

Key Provisions

• Requires EPA to determine within one year whether oil, gas, or geothermal exploration and production wastes meet hazardous-waste criteria.
• Requires EPA to list covered wastes as hazardous when they meet those criteria.
• Requires hazardous-waste regulations for listed covered wastes while allowing protective modifications for special characteristics.
• Requires revised facility criteria for covered wastes not listed as hazardous.
• Requires facility criteria to address groundwater monitoring, location standards, corrective action, and financial assurance as appropriate.