093_HB3824 LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 AN ACT concerning environmental protection. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended 5 by changing Section 12.5 as follows: 6 (415 ILCS 5/12.5) 7 Sec. 12.5. NPDES discharge fees; sludge permit fees. 8 (a) Beginning July 1, 2003, the Agency shall assess and 9 collect annual fees (i) in the amounts set forth in 10 subsection (e) for all discharges that require an NPDES 11 permit under subsection (f) of Section 12, from each person 12 holding an NPDES permit authorizing those discharges 13 (including a person who continues to discharge under an 14 expired permit pending renewal), and (ii) in the amounts set 15 forth in subsection (f) of this Section for all activities 16 that require a permit under subsection (b) of Section 12, 17 from each person holding a domestic sewage sludge generator 18 or user permit. 19 Each person subject to this Section must remit the 20 applicable annual fee to the Agency in accordance with the 21 requirements set forth in this Section and any rules adopted 22 pursuant to this Section. 23 (b) Within 30 days after the effective date of this 24 Section, and by May 31 of each year thereafter, the Agency 25 shall send a fee notice by mail to each existing permittee 26 subject to a fee under this Section at his or her address of 27 record. The notice shall state the amount of the applicable 28 annual fee and the date by which payment is required. 29 Except as provided in subsection (c) with respect to 30 initial fees under new permits and certain modifications of 31 existing permits, fees payable under this Section for the 12 -2- LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 months beginning July 1, 2003 are due by the date specified 2 in the fee notice, which shall be no less than 30 days after 3 the date the fee notice is mailed by the Agency, and fees 4 payable under this Section for subsequent years shall be due 5 on July 1 or as otherwise required in any rules that may be 6 adopted pursuant to this Section. 7 (c) The initial annual fee for discharges under a new 8 individual NPDES permit or for activity under a new 9 individual sludge generator or sludge user permit must be 10 remitted to the Agency prior to the issuance of the permit. 11 The Agency shall provide notice of the amount of the fee to 12 the applicant during its review of the application. In the 13 case of a new individual NPDES or sludge permit issued during 14 the months of January through June, the Agency may prorate 15 the initial annual fee payable under this Section. 16 The initial annual fee for discharges or other activity 17 under a general NPDES permit must be remitted to the Agency 18 as part of the application for coverage under that general 19 permit. 20 If a requested modification to an existing NPDES permit 21 causes a change in the applicable fee categories under 22 subsection (e) that results in an increase in the required 23 fee, the permittee must pay to the Agency the amount of the 24 increase, prorated for the number of months remaining before 25 the next July 1, before the modification is granted. 26 (d) Failure to submit the fee required under this 27 Section by the due date constitutes a violation of this 28 Section. Late payments shall incur an interest penalty, 29 calculated at the rate in effect from time to time for tax 30 delinquencies under subsection (a) of Section 1003 of the 31 Illinois Income Tax Act, from the date the fee is due until 32 the date the fee payment is received by the Agency. 33 (e) The annual fees applicable to discharges under NPDES 34 permits are as follows: -3- LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 (1) For NPDES permits for publicly owned treatment 2 works, other facilities for which the wastewater being 3 treated and discharged is primarily domestic sewage, and 4 wastewater discharges from the operation of public water 5 supply treatment facilities, the fee is: 6 (i) $1,500 for facilities with a Design 7 Average Flow rate of less than 100,000 gallons per 8 day; 9 (ii) $5,000 for facilities with a Design 10 Average Flow rate of at least 100,000 gallons per 11 day but less than 500,000 gallons per day; 12 (iii) $7,500 for facilities with a Design 13 Average Flow rate of at least 500,000 gallons per 14 day but less than 1,000,000 gallons per day; 15 (iv) $15,000 for facilities with a Design 16 Average Flow rate of at least 1,000,000 gallons per 17 day but less than 5,000,000 gallons per day; 18 (v) $30,000 for facilities with a Design 19 Average Flow rate of at least 5,000,000 gallons per 20 day but less than 10,000,000 gallons per day; and 21 (vi) $50,000 for facilities with a Design 22 Average Flow rate of 10,000,000 gallons per day or 23 more. 24 (2) For NPDES permits for treatment works or sewer 25 collection systems that include combined sewer overflow 26 outfalls, the fee is: 27 (i) $1,000 for systems serving a tributary 28 population of 10,000 or less; 29 (ii) $5,000 for systems serving a tributary 30 population that is greater than 10,000 but not more 31 than 25,000; and 32 (iii) $20,000 for systems serving a tributary 33 population that is greater than 25,000. 34 The fee amounts in this subdivision (e)(2) are in -4- LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 addition to the fees stated in subdivision (e)(1) when 2 the combined sewer overflow outfall is contained within a 3 permit subject to subsection (e)(1) fees. 4 (3) For NPDES permits for mines producing coal, the 5 fee is $5,000. 6 (4) For NPDES permits for mines other than mines 7 producing coal, the fee is $5,000. 8 (5) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where 9 toxic substances are not regulated, other than permits 10 covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the fee is: 11 (i) $1,000 for a facility with a Design 12 Average Flow rate that is not more than 10,000 13 gallons per day; 14 (ii) $2,500 for a facility with a Design 15 Average Flow rate that is more than 10,000 gallons 16 per day but not more than 100,000 gallons per day; 17 and 18 (iii) $10,000 for a facility with a Design 19 Average Flow rate that is more than 100,000 gallons 20 per day. 21 (6) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where 22 toxic substances are regulated, other than permits 23 covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the fee is: 24 (i) $15,000 for a facility with a Design 25 Average Flow rate that is not more than 250,000 26 gallons per day; and 27 (ii) $20,000 for a facility with a Design 28 Average Flow rate that is more than 250,000 gallons 29 per day. 30 (7) For NPDES permits for industrial activity 31 classified by USEPA as a major discharge, other than 32 permits covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the 33 fee is: 34 (i) $30,000 for a facility where toxic -5- LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 substances are not regulated; and 2 (ii) $50,000 for a facility where toxic 3 substances are regulated. 4 (8) For NPDES permits for municipal separate storm 5 sewer systems, the fee is $1,000. 6 (9) For NPDES permits for construction site or 7 industrial storm water, the fee is $500. 8 (f) The annual fee for activities under a permit that 9 authorizes applying sludge on land is $2,500 for a sludge 10 generator permit and $5,000 for a sludge user permit. 11 (g) More than one of the annual fees specified in 12 subsections (e) and (f) may be applicable to a permit holder. 13 These fees are in addition to any other fees required under 14 this Act. 15 (h) The fees imposed under this Section do not apply to 16 the State or any department or agency of the State, nor to 17 any school district. 18 (h-5) The annual fees applicable to discharges under 19 NPDES permits imposed pursuant to item (i) of subsection (a) 20 of this Section do not apply to not-for-profit organizations 21 exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 22 1986. 23 (i) The Agency may adopt rules to administer the fee 24 program established in this Section. The Agency may include 25 provisions pertaining to invoices, notice of late payment, 26 and disputes concerning the amount or timeliness of payment. 27 The Agency may set forth procedures and criteria for the 28 acceptance of payments. The absence of such rules does not 29 affect the duty of the Agency to immediately begin the 30 assessment and collection of fees under this Section. 31 (j) All fees and interest penalties collected by the 32 Agency under this Section shall be deposited into the 33 Illinois Clean Water Fund, which is hereby created as a 34 special fund in the State treasury. Gifts, supplemental -6- LRB093 12516 AMC 17704 b 1 environmental project funds, and grants may be deposited into 2 the Fund. Investment earnings on moneys held in the Fund 3 shall be credited to the Fund. 4 Subject to appropriation, the moneys in the Fund shall be 5 used by the Agency to carry out the Agency's clean water 6 activities. 7 (k) Fees paid to the Agency under this Section are not 8 refundable. 9 (Source: P.A. 93-32, eff. 7-1-03.) 10 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 11 becoming law.