Like other publications in this area, this book surveys, organizes, and explains the most important provisions of RCRA and CERCLA while providing relevant background. This publication goes beyond other publications by emphasizing the scientific, policy, and legal issues that make hazardous waste management a difficult and complex problem for Congress, EPA, and practicing lawyers. As with other areas of environmental law, the role of law is to pursue a number of distinct policies in the context of a technically challenging problem. This book explains the nature of the underlying problem that the law seeks to address, and the specific choices that the law makes in addressing it.