Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2013

CLEANER Act of 2013 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2013 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act, with respect to the regulation of wastes associated with the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy, to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), within one year, to:

• determine whether drilling fluids, produced waters, and other wastes associated with such activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste;
• identify or list as hazardous waste any of such energy-associated wastes that the Administrator determines meet the identification or listing criteria; and
• promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of wastes described under this Act (except that the Administrator may modify the requirements for such regulations to consider such wastes' special characteristics so long as the requirements protect human health and the environment).

Directs the Administrator to promulgate revisions of the criteria regarding sanitary landfills and practices of open dumping for facilities that receive the energy-associated wastes described under this Act not identified as hazardous waste. Requires such revisions to:

• be those necessary to protect human health and the environment, allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and
• include, at minimum, groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination, criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities, and provision for corrective action and financial assurance.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov