Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996

Land Disposal Program Flexibility Act of 1996 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) to exempt from land disposal restrictions (other than requirements pertaining to applicable specific methods of treatment promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under SWDA) solid waste identified as hazardous based solely on one or more characteristics if such waste: (1) is treated in a treatment system that subsequently discharges to waters of the United States pursuant to a permit issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act), undergoes pretreatment for purposes of compliance with toxic and pretreatment effluent standards of such Act, or is treated in a zero-discharge system that the Administrator determines to be engaging in Clean Water Act-equivalent treatment; (2) no longer exhibits such characteristic prior to land disposal; (3) has met any applicable specific method of treatment promulgated by the Administrator, including those specified in the rule promulgated by the Administrator on June 1, 1990, prior to management in a land-based unit as part of a treatment system specified in clause (1) above; and (4) would not generate toxic gases, vapors, or fumes due to the presence of cyanide at the point of generation when exposed to pH conditions of a specified range.

Amends SWDA to exempt from land disposal restrictions solid waste identified as hazardous based on one or more characteristics alone if the waste no longer exhibits a hazardous characteristic at the point of injection into any Class I deep well regulated under safe drinking water provisions of the Public Health Service Act.

Requires the Administrator to conduct a study of hazardous waste managed in accordance with this Act to characterize the risks to human health or the environment associated with such management, upon completion of which the Administrator may impose additional requirements or rely upon other State or Federal programs or authorities to address such risks.

(Sec. 3) Makes certain groundwater monitoring requirements inapplicable to new or existing municipal solid waste landfill units or lateral expansions of such units that dispose of fewer than 20 tons of municipal solid waste daily, based on an annual average, if: (1) there is no evidence of groundwater contamination from such units or expansions; and (2) the units or expansions serve a community that experiences an annual interruption of at least three consecutive months of surface transportation that prevents access to a regional waste management facility or that has no practicable waste management alternative and such units are located in an area that annually receives 25 inches of precipitation or less.

Permits States to require monitoring of units that would otherwise be exempt if necessary to protect groundwater resources and ensure compliance with a State groundwater protection plan.

Allows the suspension of groundwater monitoring requirements if a landfill operator demonstrates that there is no potential for migration of hazardous constituents from the unit to the uppermost aquifer during the active life of the unit and the post-closure care period. Allows the State of Alaska to exempt units of Alaska Native villages or located in or near small, remote Alaska villages from some or all of such requirements if such requirements would be infeasible, would not be cost-effective, or would be inappropriate because of the unit's remote location. Applies this exemption only to landfills that dispose of less than 20 tons of municipal solid waste daily.

Directs the Administrator to promulgate revisions to provide additional flexibility to approved States to allow landfills that receive no more than 20 tons of municipal solid waste daily to use alternative frequencies of daily cover application and methane gas monitoring, infiltration layers for final cover, and means for demonstrating financial assurance, provided such alternative requirements take into account climatic and hydrogeologic conditions and protect human health and the environment.

Declares that it is the intent of this Act to reinstate EPA rules promulgated on October 9, 1991, regarding groundwater monitoring at municipal solid waste landfill units.