BMP for Lead <strong>at</strong> Outdoor <strong>Shooting</strong> Rangesapportionment of liability was made <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> finaldetermin<strong>at</strong>ion of each parties’ pro r<strong>at</strong>a share of<strong>the</strong> response cost was deferred.This case shows th<strong>at</strong> range activity need notaffect a w<strong>at</strong>er body to trigger CERCLA liability.CERCLA is a powerful st<strong>at</strong>utory authority th<strong>at</strong>can gre<strong>at</strong>ly impact current <strong>and</strong> former rangeowners/oper<strong>at</strong>ors. The st<strong>at</strong>ute allows forrecovery of damages to n<strong>at</strong>ural resources, <strong>the</strong>cost of any health assessment studies <strong>and</strong> allcleanup costs. Liability may extend to pastowners <strong>and</strong> oper<strong>at</strong>ors long after a range ceasesoper<strong>at</strong>ion.1.2.4 Additional Laws <strong>and</strong> Regul<strong>at</strong>ions<strong>Shooting</strong> ranges may also be subject to st<strong>at</strong>e<strong>and</strong> local laws <strong>and</strong> regul<strong>at</strong>ions. Many st<strong>at</strong>eshave adopted <strong>the</strong>ir own environmental laws,which are based on federal laws. Specifically,<strong>the</strong>se st<strong>at</strong>es have laws <strong>and</strong> regul<strong>at</strong>ions th<strong>at</strong>mirror <strong>the</strong> CWA <strong>and</strong> RCRA program laws. EPAapprovedst<strong>at</strong>e program laws must be asstringent as <strong>the</strong> federal laws <strong>and</strong> may be morestringent. Activities <strong>at</strong> shooting ranges may alsobe subject to local laws, ordinances <strong>and</strong>regul<strong>at</strong>ions addressing issues such as noise,zoning, traffic, wetl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> nuisance. Often,citizens or neighbors of outdoor shooting rangescan initi<strong>at</strong>e noise nuisance claims againstrange owners/oper<strong>at</strong>ors. Because many st<strong>at</strong>eshave passed legisl<strong>at</strong>ion protecting ranges fromnoise nuisance lawsuits, <strong>the</strong>se may turn intoclaims of environmental viol<strong>at</strong>ions under <strong>the</strong>laws discussed above due to <strong>the</strong> presence oflead <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r products <strong>at</strong> ranges.1.3 Benefits of MinimizingLead’s <strong>Environmental</strong> ImpactAll ranges will benefit from proactivelyimplementing successful BMP’s. Even ifrange activities currently do not cause adversepublic health <strong>and</strong> environmental impacts, bydeveloping <strong>and</strong> promoting active leadmanagement programs, ranges will benefit in <strong>the</strong>following ways:• Through a sound lead managementprogram, shooting sports enthusiasts canreduce <strong>the</strong> potential of lead exposure <strong>and</strong>contamin<strong>at</strong>ion to humans, animals <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>environment.• A lead management program will result inimproved public rel<strong>at</strong>ions for <strong>the</strong> range<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> shooting sports. Ranges canpromote <strong>and</strong> publicize <strong>the</strong>ir successful BMPprograms to improve <strong>the</strong>ir public image.Since many of <strong>the</strong> legal <strong>and</strong> governmentalactions begin with or are due to citizengroups, an active lead management programmay improve <strong>the</strong> public image of <strong>the</strong> rangewith <strong>the</strong>se citizen groups.• The removal of spent lead from <strong>the</strong> rangepresents a clean, well maintained facility,which will increase customer s<strong>at</strong>isfaction.• Lead is a recyclable <strong>and</strong> finite resource <strong>and</strong>can be recovered from <strong>the</strong> active portion ofranges <strong>and</strong> sold to lead reclaimers.Frequently, reclaimers do not charge rangeowners/oper<strong>at</strong>ors to recover lead fromranges, <strong>and</strong> owners <strong>and</strong> oper<strong>at</strong>ors mayreceive a percentage of <strong>the</strong> profit from <strong>the</strong>sale of reclaimed lead. This factor drivesrecycling efforts <strong>at</strong> many ranges.• By reducing or elimin<strong>at</strong>ing a potentialsource of lead migr<strong>at</strong>ion in soil, surfacew<strong>at</strong>er <strong>and</strong> groundw<strong>at</strong>er, range owners/oper<strong>at</strong>ors may avoid costly <strong>and</strong> lengthyfuture remedi<strong>at</strong>ion activities.• Finally, implementing a BMP program forlead may elimin<strong>at</strong>e or gre<strong>at</strong>ly reduce <strong>the</strong>risk of citizen lawsuits <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> legal costsassoci<strong>at</strong>ed with <strong>the</strong>se lawsuits. Throughmanagement <strong>and</strong> removal practices, leadmay no longer represent a thre<strong>at</strong> upon whichcitizen lawsuits are based.Range owners/oper<strong>at</strong>ors may question whe<strong>the</strong>r<strong>the</strong> benefits of a regular <strong>and</strong> timely BMP programoutweigh <strong>the</strong> efforts of implementing <strong>and</strong>maintaining a program. The questions may ariseespecially for ranges <strong>at</strong> which shooting activitiesinvolve w<strong>at</strong>erways, since n<strong>at</strong>ional <strong>at</strong>tention hasfocused on ranges loc<strong>at</strong>ed adjacent to w<strong>at</strong>er(e.g., Remington Arms <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> New York Athletic<strong>Chapter</strong> I - Page I-12
BMP for Lead <strong>at</strong> Outdoor <strong>Shooting</strong> RangesClub). However, all outdoor ranges may besubject to legal actions under RCRA <strong>and</strong>CERCLA authority. All of <strong>the</strong> benefits foradopting best management practices areavailable <strong>and</strong> worthwhile for every range owner<strong>and</strong> oper<strong>at</strong>or.The following sections provide inform<strong>at</strong>ion th<strong>at</strong>will assist <strong>the</strong> range owner or oper<strong>at</strong>or inimplementing a BMP program for recovery <strong>and</strong>recycling of lead shots <strong>and</strong> bullets.<strong>Chapter</strong> I - Page I-13
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