Download Zipped Enrolled WordPerfect HB0124.ZIP
[Introduced][Status][Bill Documents][Fiscal Note] [Bills Directory]

H.B. 124 Enrolled

             1     

RADIATION CONTROL AMENDMENTS

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Brad L. Dee

             5     
Senate Sponsor: Ralph Okerlund

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill amends provisions related to the regulation of radioactive waste disposal.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    amends provisions relating to the funding of radioactive waste disposal regulation;
             13          .    grants rulemaking authority to the Radiation Control Board relating to radioactive
             14      waste licensing;
             15          .    increases civil penalties for the violation of certain provisions;
             16          .    provides for Division of Radiation Control access to radioactive waste disposal
             17      facilities under certain circumstances; and
             18          .    makes technical changes.
             19      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             20          None
             21      Other Special Clauses:
             22          None
             23      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             24      AMENDS:
             25          19-1-108, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 17
             26          19-3-105, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 360
             27          19-3-106.4, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 360
             28          19-3-109, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 360
             29     


             30      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             31          Section 1. Section 19-1-108 is amended to read:
             32           19-1-108. Creation of Environmental Quality Restricted Account -- Purpose of
             33      restricted account -- Sources of funds -- Uses of funds.
             34          (1) There is created the Environmental Quality Restricted Account.
             35          (2) The sources of money for the restricted account are:
             36          (a) radioactive waste disposal fees collected under Sections 19-3-106 and 19-3-106.4
             37      and other fees collected under Subsection 19-3-104 (5);
             38          (b) hazardous waste disposal fees collected under Section 19-6-118 ;
             39          (c) PCB waste disposal fees collected under Section 19-6-118.5 ;
             40          (d) nonhazardous solid waste disposal fees collected under Section 19-6-119 ; and
             41          (e) the investment income derived from money in the Environmental Quality
             42      Restricted Account.
             43          (3) In each fiscal year, the first $400,000 collected from the waste disposal fees listed
             44      in Subsection (2), collectively, shall be deposited in the General Fund as free revenue. The
             45      balance shall be deposited in the Environmental Quality Restricted Account.
             46          (4) The Legislature may annually appropriate money from the Environmental Quality
             47      Restricted Account to:
             48          (a) the department for the costs of administering radiation control programs;
             49          (b) the department for the costs of administering solid and hazardous waste programs;
             50      and
             51          (c) subject to Subsection [(5)] (6), the Hazardous Substances Mitigation Fund, up to
             52      $400,000, to provide money to:
             53          (i) meet the state's cost share requirements for cleanup under the Comprehensive
             54      Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9601 et seq.
             55      as amended; and
             56          (ii) respond to an emergency as provided in Section 19-6-309 .
             57          (5) After the requirements of Subsection (3) are met, sources of money for the


             58      restricted account described in Subsection (2)(a) may only be used for the purpose described in
             59      Subsection (4)(a).
             60          [(5)] (6) An annual request for money to be appropriated from the Environmental
             61      Quality Restricted Account to the Hazardous Substances Mitigation Fund may be made by the
             62      department only after the executive director's review of the Environmental Quality Restricted
             63      Account's or the Hazardous Substances Mitigation Fund's balance as of the end of the fiscal
             64      year immediately before the general session for which the request is made.
             65          [(6)] (7) In order to stabilize funding for the radiation control program and the solid
             66      and hazardous waste program, the Legislature shall in years of excess revenues reserve in the
             67      Environmental Quality Restricted Account sufficient money to meet departmental needs in
             68      years of projected shortages.
             69          [(7)] (8) The Legislature may not appropriate money from the General Fund to the
             70      department as a supplemental appropriation to cover the costs of the radiation control program
             71      and the solid and hazardous waste program in an amount exceeding 25% of the amount of
             72      waste disposal fees collected during the most recent prior fiscal year.
             73          [(8)] (9) Money appropriated under this part that is not expended at the end of the
             74      fiscal year lapses into the Environmental Quality Restricted Account.
             75          [(9)] (10) (a) The balance in the Environmental Quality Restricted Account may not
             76      exceed $4,000,000 above the anticipated revenue need for the money in the restricted account
             77      for the fiscal year.
             78          (b) Excess funds under Subsection [(9)] (10)(a) shall be credited on a proportionate
             79      basis to each person who paid money to the fund in the previous fiscal year.
             80          Section 2. Section 19-3-105 is amended to read:
             81           19-3-105. Definitions -- Legislative and gubernatorial approval required for
             82      radioactive waste license -- Exceptions -- Application for new, renewed, or amended
             83      license.
             84          (1) As used in this section:
             85          (a) "Alternate feed material" has the same definition as provided in Section 59-24-102 .


             86          (b) "Approval application" means an application by a radioactive waste facility
             87      regulated under this chapter or Title 19, Chapter 5, Water Quality Act, for a permit, license,
             88      registration, certification, or other authorization.
             89          [(b)] (c) (i) "Class A low-level radioactive waste" means:
             90          (A) radioactive waste that is classified as class A waste under 10 C.F.R. 61.55; and
             91          (B) radium-226 up to a maximum radionuclide concentration level of 10,000
             92      picocuries per gram.
             93          (ii) "Class A low-level radioactive waste" does not include:
             94          (A) uranium mill tailings;
             95          (B) naturally occurring radioactive materials; or
             96          (C) the following radionuclides if classified as "special nuclear material" under the
             97      Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2014:
             98          (I) uranium-233; and
             99          (II) uranium-235 with a radionuclide concentration level greater than the concentration
             100      limits for specific conditions and enrichments established by an order of the Nuclear
             101      Regulatory Commission:
             102          (Aa) to ensure criticality safety for a radioactive waste facility in the state; and
             103          (Bb) in response to a request, submitted prior to January 1, 2004, from a radioactive
             104      waste facility in the state to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to amend the facility's special
             105      nuclear material exemption order.
             106          [(c)] (d) (i) "Radioactive waste facility" or "facility" means a facility that receives,
             107      transfers, stores, decays in storage, treats, or disposes of radioactive waste:
             108          (A) commercially for profit; or
             109          (B) generated at locations other than the radioactive waste facility.
             110          (ii) "Radioactive waste facility" does not include a facility that receives:
             111          (A) alternate feed material for reprocessing; or
             112          (B) radioactive waste from a location in the state designated as a processing site under
             113      42 U.S.C. 7912(f).


             114          [(d)] (e) "Radioactive waste license" or "license" means a radioactive material license
             115      issued by the director under Subsection 19-3-108 (2)(d), to own, construct, modify, or operate a
             116      radioactive waste facility.
             117          (2) The provisions of this section are subject to the prohibition under Section
             118      19-3-103.7 .
             119          (3) Subject to Subsection [(10)] (8), a person may not own, construct, modify, or
             120      operate a radioactive waste facility without:
             121          (a) having received a radioactive waste license for the facility;
             122          (b) meeting the requirements established by rule under Section 19-3-104 ;
             123          (c) the approval of the governing body of the municipality or county responsible for
             124      local planning and zoning where the radioactive waste is or will be located; and
             125          (d) subsequent to meeting the requirements of Subsections (3)(a) through (c), the
             126      approval of the governor and the Legislature.
             127          (4) Subject to Subsection [(10)] (8), a new radioactive waste license application, or an
             128      application to renew or amend an existing radioactive waste license, is subject to the
             129      requirements of Subsections (3)(b) through (d) if the application, renewal, or amendment:
             130          (a) specifies a different geographic site than a previously submitted application;
             131          (b) would cost 50% or more of the cost of construction of the original radioactive
             132      waste facility or the modification would result in an increase in capacity or throughput of a
             133      cumulative total of 50% of the total capacity or throughput which was approved in the facility
             134      license as of January 1, 1990, or the initial approval facility license if the initial license
             135      approval is subsequent to January 1, 1990; or
             136          (c) requests approval to receive, transfer, store, decay in storage, treat, or dispose of
             137      radioactive waste having a higher radionuclide concentration limit than allowed, under an
             138      existing approved license held by the facility, for the specific type of waste to be received,
             139      transferred, stored, decayed in storage, treated, or disposed of.
             140          (5) The requirements of Subsection (4)(c) do not apply to an application to renew or
             141      amend an existing radioactive waste license if:


             142          (a) the radioactive waste facility requesting the renewal or amendment has received a
             143      license prior to January 1, 2004; and
             144          (b) the application to renew or amend its license is limited to a request to approve the
             145      receipt, transfer, storage, decay in storage, treatment, or disposal of class A low-level
             146      radioactive waste.
             147          (6) A radioactive waste facility which receives a new radioactive waste license after
             148      May 3, 2004, is subject to the requirements of Subsections (3)(b) through (d) for any license
             149      application, renewal, or amendment that requests approval to receive, transfer, store, decay in
             150      storage, treat, or dispose of radioactive waste not previously approved under an existing license
             151      held by the facility.
             152          (7) If the board finds that approval of additional radioactive waste license applications,
             153      renewals, or amendments will result in inadequate oversight, monitoring, or licensure
             154      compliance and enforcement of existing and any additional radioactive waste facilities, the
             155      board shall suspend acceptance of further applications for radioactive waste licenses. The
             156      board shall report the suspension to the Legislative Management Committee.
             157          [(8) The director shall review each proposed radioactive waste license application to
             158      determine whether the application complies with the provisions of this chapter and the rules of
             159      the board.]
             160          [(9) (a) If the radioactive waste license application is determined to be complete, the
             161      director shall issue a notice of completeness.]
             162          [(b) If the director determines that the radioactive waste license application is
             163      incomplete, the director shall issue a notice of deficiency, listing the additional information to
             164      be provided by the applicant to complete the application.]
             165          [(10)] (8) The requirements of Subsections (3)(c) and (d) and Subsection 19-3-104 (11)
             166      do not apply to:
             167          (a) a radioactive waste license that is in effect on December 31, 2006, including all
             168      amendments to the license that have taken effect as of December 31, 2006;
             169          (b) a license application for a facility in existence as of December 31, 2006, unless the


             170      license application includes an area beyond the facility boundary approved in the license
             171      described in Subsection [(10)] (8)(a); or
             172          (c) an application to renew or amend a license described in Subsection [(10)] (8)(a),
             173      unless the renewal or amendment includes an area beyond the facility boundary approved in the
             174      license described in Subsection [(10)] (8)(a).
             175          (9) (a) The director shall review an approval application to determine whether the
             176      application complies with the requirements of this chapter and the rules of the board.
             177          (b) Within 60 days after the day on which the director receives an approval application
             178      described in Subsection (10)(a)(ii) or (iii), the director shall:
             179          (i) determine whether the application is complete and contains all the information
             180      necessary to process the application for approval; and
             181          (ii) (A) issue a notice of completeness to the applicant; or
             182          (B) issue a notice of deficiency to the applicant and list the additional information
             183      necessary to complete the application.
             184          (c) The director shall review information submitted in response to a notice of
             185      deficiency within 30 days after the day on which the director receives the information.
             186          (10) The board shall make rules, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
             187      Administrative Rulemaking Act, to:
             188          (a) categorize approval applications as follows:
             189          (i) approval applications that:
             190          (A) are administrative in nature;
             191          (B) require limited scrutiny by the director; and
             192          (C) do not require public input;
             193          (ii) approval applications that:
             194          (A) require substantial scrutiny by the director;
             195          (B) require public input; and
             196          (C) are not described in Subsection (10)(a)(iii); and
             197          (iii) approval applications for:


             198          (A) the granting or renewal of a radioactive waste license;
             199          (B) the granting or renewal of a groundwater permit issued by the director for a
             200      radioactive waste facility;
             201          (C) an amendment to a radioactive waste license, or a groundwater permit, that allows
             202      the design and approval of a new disposal cell;
             203          (D) an amendment to a radioactive waste license or groundwater discharge permit for a
             204      radioactive waste facility to eliminate groundwater monitoring; and
             205          (E) a radioactive waste facility closure plan;
             206          (b) provide time periods for the director to review, and approve or deny, an application
             207      described in Subsection (10)(a) as follows:
             208          (i) for applications categorized under Subsection (10)(a)(i), within 30 days after the day
             209      on which the director receives the application;
             210          (ii) for applications categorized under Subsection (10)(a)(ii), within 180 days after the
             211      day on which the director receives the application;
             212          (iii) for applications categorized under Subsection (10)(a)(iii), as follows:
             213          (A) for a new radioactive waste license, within 540 days after the day on which the
             214      director receives the application;
             215          (B) for a new groundwater permit issued by the director for a radioactive waste facility
             216      consistent with the provisions of Title 19, Chapter 5, Water Quality Act, within 540 days after
             217      the day on which the director receives the application;
             218          (C) for a radioactive waste license renewal, within 365 days after the day on which the
             219      director receives the application;
             220          (D) for a groundwater permit renewal issued by the director for a radioactive waste
             221      facility, within 365 days after the day on which the director receives the application;
             222          (E) for an amendment to a radioactive waste license, or a groundwater permit, that
             223      allows the design and approval of a new disposal cell, within 365 days after the day on which
             224      the director receives the application;
             225          (F) for an amendment to a radioactive waste license, or a groundwater discharge


             226      permit, for a radioactive waste facility to eliminate groundwater monitoring, within 365 days
             227      after the day on which the director receives the application; and
             228          (G) for a radioactive waste facility closure plan, within 365 days after the day on which
             229      the director receives the application;
             230          (c) toll the time periods described in Subsection (10)(b):
             231          (i) while an owner or operator of a facility responds to the director's request for
             232      information;
             233          (ii) during a public comment period; or
             234          (iii) while the federal government reviews the application; and
             235          (d) require the director to prepare a detailed written explanation of the basis for the
             236      director's approval or denial of an approval application.
             237          Section 3. Section 19-3-106.4 is amended to read:
             238           19-3-106.4. Generator site access permits.
             239          (1) A generator or broker may not transfer radioactive waste to a commercial
             240      radioactive waste treatment or disposal facility in the state without first obtaining a generator
             241      site access permit from the director.
             242          (2) The director may not grant a generator site access permit to a generator or broker
             243      unless the generator or broker agrees to grant the division reasonable access to its facilities for
             244      the inspection and verification of radioactive waste using Nuclear Regulatory Commission
             245      approved accountability guidelines.
             246          [(2)] (3) The board may make rules [pursuant to Section 19-3-104 ] in accordance with
             247      Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, governing a generator site access
             248      permit program.
             249          [(3)] (4) (a) Except as provided in Subsection [(3)] (4)(b), the division shall establish
             250      fees for generator site access permits in accordance with Section 63J-1-504 .
             251          (b) On and after July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, the fees are:
             252          (i) $1,300 for generators transferring 1,000 or more cubic feet of radioactive waste per
             253      year;


             254          (ii) $500 for generators transferring less than 1,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste per
             255      year; and
             256          (iii) $5,000 for brokers.
             257          (c) The division shall deposit fees received under this section into the Environmental
             258      Quality Restricted Account created in Section 19-1-108 .
             259          [(4)] (5) This section does not apply to a generator or broker transferring radioactive
             260      waste to a uranium mill licensed under 10 C.F.R. Part 40, Domestic Licensing of Source
             261      Material.
             262          Section 4. Section 19-3-109 is amended to read:
             263           19-3-109. Civil penalties -- Appeals.
             264          (1) A person who violates [any] a provision of [Sections 19-3-104 through 19-3-113 ,
             265      any] this part, a rule or order issued under the authority of [those sections] this part, or the
             266      terms of a license, permit, or registration certificate issued under the authority of [those
             267      sections] this part is subject to a civil penalty not to exceed [$5,000] $10,000 for each
             268      violation.
             269          (2) The director may assess and make a demand for payment of a penalty under this
             270      section and may compromise or remit that penalty.
             271          (3) In order to make demand for payment of a penalty assessed under this section, the
             272      director shall issue a notice of agency action, specifying, in addition to the requirements for
             273      notices of agency action contained in Title 63G, Chapter 4, Administrative Procedures Act:
             274          (a) the date, facts, and nature of each act or omission charged;
             275          (b) the provision of the statute, rule, order, license, permit, or registration certificate
             276      that is alleged to have been violated;
             277          (c) each penalty that the director proposes to impose, together with the amount and
             278      date of effect of that penalty; and
             279          (d) that failure to pay the penalty or respond may result in a civil action for collection.
             280          (4) A person notified according to Subsection (3) may request an adjudicative
             281      proceeding.


             282          (5) Upon request by the director, the attorney general may institute a civil action to
             283      collect a penalty imposed under this section.
             284          (6) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (6)(b), the department shall deposit all money
             285      collected from civil penalties imposed under this section into the General Fund.
             286          (b) The department may reimburse itself and local governments from money collected
             287      from civil penalties for extraordinary expenses incurred in environmental enforcement
             288      activities.
             289          (c) The department shall regulate reimbursements by making rules that:
             290          (i) define qualifying environmental enforcement activities; and
             291          (ii) define qualifying extraordinary expenses.


[Bill Documents][Bills Directory]