40 CFR 260.21 – Petitions for equivalent testing or analytical methods
(a) Any person seeking to add a testing or analytical method to part 261, 264, or 265 of this chapter may petition for a regulatory amendment under this section and § 260.20. To be successful, the person must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Administrator that the proposed method is equal to or superior to the corresponding method prescribed in part 261, 264, or 265 of this chapter, in terms of its sensitivity, accuracy, and precision (i.e., reproducibility).
(b) Each petition must include, in addition to the information required by § 260.20(b):
(1) A full description of the proposed method, including all procedural steps and equipment used in the method;
(2) A description of the types of wastes or waste matrices for which the proposed method may be used;
(3) Comparative results obtained from using the proposed method with those obtained from using the relevant or corresponding methods prescribed in part 261, 264, or 265 of this chapter;
(4) An assessment of any factors which may interfere with, or limit the use of, the proposed method; and
(5) A description of the quality control procedures necessary to ensure the sensitivity, accuracy and precision of the proposed method.
(c) After receiving a petition for an equivalent method, the Administrator may request any additional information on the proposed method which he may reasonably require to evaluate the method.
(d) If the Administrator amends the regulations to permit use of a new testing method, the method will be incorporated by reference in § 260.11 and added to “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication SW-846, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery, Washington, DC 20460.