Community and Residents Education at Hazardous Waste Sites Act of 1992

Community and Residents Education at Hazardous Waste Sites Act of 1992 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to authorize the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to conduct health studies at any hazardous waste facility and take other actions with respect to risks to human health posed by such facility. Requires the ATSDR Administrator, if a health study finds that the exposure concerned may present a health risk, to notify the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State (if the State has an authorized hazardous waste program) and recommend actions necessary to reduce the exposure and eliminate or mitigate risks. Directs the EPA Administrator or the State to order the owner or operator of the facility to take steps to reduce the exposure and eliminate or mitigate the risks.

Provides for public participation in health studies, including public meetings and comments on proposed studies and public availability of completed studies. Permits petitions to request the performance of a health study.

Authorizes appropriations.

Requires the ATSDR Administrator to: (1) develop a plan to perform health assessments at hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities identified under the Solid Waste Disposal Act; (2) give priority in selecting such facilities to the 25 facilities believed to present the highest risk to human health; and (3) report to the Congress on such assessments, including findings on exposure and risk reduction and efforts to improve responsiveness to communities.

Establishes: (1) an ATSDR Peer Review Board to carry out technical and scientific peer review of ATSDR health studies; and (2) an ATSDR Citizen Review Board to monitor ATSDR and EPA responsiveness to citizen concerns and to make recommendations on ways to improve citizen involvement and the readability of documents intended for public consumption. Requires: (1) the Peer Review Board to review and report to the Congress on the quality of the ATSDR health assessments; and (2) the Citizen Review Board to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of the ATSDR in responding to the needs of communities for information on health effects of hazardous wastes. Authorizes appropriations.

Authorizes the ATSDR Administrator to make health education grants to any group that may be affected by exposure to hazardous wastes from a facility with respect to which a health study is being conducted. Permits such grants to be used for obtaining the following from health professionals: (1) information about threats of exposure and actions that can be taken to reduce exposure; (2) assistance in interpreting and reviewing health assessments and studies and other information developed by the ATSDR and other agencies; and (3) assistance in preparing public comments and in designing community health surveillance techniques.

Limits the amount of such grants. Authorizes grant cost recovery from hazardous waste facility owners or operators as a condition of receiving a facility permit. Applies small purchase or other simplified procurement procedures to grant recipients. Permits grant cost recovery as a response cost under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 from persons contributing to hazardous substance releases in cases where a health assessment or study discloses exposure of a population to such releases.

Authorizes the EPA Administrator to make specified amounts available to the Director of the Office of Research and Development for grants to demonstrate nonincineration technologies for the treatment of dioxin and hazardous wastes and substances. Requires the EPA Administrator to consider the use of nonincineration treatment technologies in corrective and response actions and to promote public participation in such demonstrations.