HB0667ham003 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. John A. Fritchey

Filed: 04/12/05

09400HB0667ham003 LRB094 04118 RSP 44746 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 667

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 667, AS AMENDED, by replacing the title with the following:

"AN ACT concerning safety, which may be known as the Toxic Chemical Disclosure Act."; and

by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by changing Section 58.8 and by adding Section 22.50 and Title VI-D as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/22.50 new)

Sec. 22.50. Compliance with land use limitations. No person shall use, or cause or allow the use of, any site for which a land use limitation has been imposed under this Act in a manner inconsistent with the land use limitation unless further investigation or remedial action has been conducted that documents the attainment of remedial objectives appropriate for the new land use and a new closure letter has been obtained from the Agency and recorded in the chain of title for the site. For the purpose of this Section, the term "land use limitation" shall include, but shall not be limited to, institutional controls and engineered barriers imposed under this Act and the regulations adopted under this Act. For the purposes of this Section, the term "closure letter" shall include, but shall not be limited to, No Further Remediation Letters issued under Titles XVI and XVII of this Act and the regulations adopted under those Titles.

(415 ILCS 5/Title VI-D heading new)

TITLE VI-D. RIGHT-TO-KNOW

(415 ILCS 5/25d-1 new)

Sec. 25d-1. Definitions. For the purposes of this Title, the terms "community water system", "non-community water system", "potable", "private water system", and "semi-private water system" have the meanings ascribed to them in the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-2 new)

Sec. 25d-2. Contaminant evaluation committee. Beginning January 1, 2006, the Agency shall establish, internally within the Agency, a contaminant evaluation committee to evaluate releases of contaminants. The committee shall perform this evaluation whenever the Agency reasonably believes or confirms that the actual or modeled extent of soil or groundwater contamination extends beyond the boundary of the site where the release occurred. The committee shall recommend appropriate Agency actions in response to the release, which may include, but shall not be limited to, public notices, investigations, administrative orders, and enforcement referrals.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-3 new)

Sec. 25d-3. Committee action.

(a) Beginning January 1, 2006, if the committee established under Section 25d-2 of this Title determines that:

(1) Soil contamination poses a threat of exposure to the public above the Tier 1 residential remediation objectives adopted by the Board under Title XVII of this Act, the Agency shall give notice of the threat to the owner of the contaminated property and the Agency may require the owner of the contaminated property to post a sign acceptable to the Agency in a conspicuous place on the property notifying the public of the contamination on the property; or

(2) Groundwater contamination poses a threat of exposure to the public above the Class I groundwater quality standards adopted by the Board under this Act and the Groundwater Protection Act, the Agency shall give notice of the threat to the following:

(A) for any private, semi-private, or non-community water system, the owners of the properties served by the system; and

(B) for any community water system, the owners and operators of the system. The committee's determination must be based on the credible, scientific information available to it, and the Agency is not required to perform additional investigations or studies beyond those required by applicable federal or State laws.

(b) Beginning January 1, 2006, if any of the following actions occur: (i) the Agency refers a matter for enforcement under Section 43(a) of this Act; (ii) the Agency issues a seal order under Section 34(a) of this Act; or (iii) the Agency, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), or a third party under Agency or USEPA oversight performs an immediate removal under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended, then, within 60 days after the action, the Agency must give notice of the action to the owners of all property within 2,500 feet of the subject contamination or such other closer or further distance that the Agency deems appropriate under the circumstances. Within 30 days after a request by the Agency, the appropriate officials of the county in which the property is located must provide to the Agency the names and addresses of all property owners to whom the Agency is required to give notice under this subsection (b), these owners being the persons or entities that appear from the authentic tax records of the county.

(c) Notices required under this Section must be given in accordance with the methods recommended by the Right-to-Know Committee under Section 25d-5 of this Title. The notices must contain, at a minimum, the following information:

(1) the name and address of the site or facility where the release occurred or is suspected to have occurred;

(2) the identification of the contaminant released or suspected to have been released;

(3) information as to whether the contaminant was released or suspected to have been released into the air, land, or water;

(4) a brief description of the potential adverse health effects posed by the contaminant;

(5) a recommendation that water systems with wells impacted or potentially impacted by the contaminant be appropriately tested; and

(6) the name, business address, and phone number of persons at the Agency from whom additional information about the release or suspected release can be obtained.

(d) Any person who is a responsible party with respect to the release or substantial threat of release for which notice is given under this Section is liable for all reasonable costs incurred by the State in giving the notice and all costs incurred by the State for community relations activities related to the notice. All moneys received by the State under this subsection (d) must be deposited in and used for purposes consistent with the Hazardous Waste Fund.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-4 new)

Sec. 25d-4. Agency authority. Whenever the Agency becomes obligated to give notice pursuant to 25d-3 of this Title, the Agency has the authority to issue an order to the owner or operator of the site or facility where the release occurred or is suspected to have occurred that requires the owner or operator to provide the Agency with the information necessary for the notice. In the case of a release or suspected release from an underground storage tank subject to Title XVI of this Act, the Agency has the authority to issue such an order to the owner or operator of the underground storage tank. Any person who, without sufficient cause, willfully violates, or fails or refuses to comply with, any order issued under this Section is in violation of this Act.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-5 new)

Sec. 25d-5. Right-to-Know Committee. Beginning January 1, 2006, the Agency shall establish a committee known as the Right-to-Know Committee. The Right-to-Know Committee shall be composed of the following persons and shall be chaired by the Director or the Director's designee: representatives of the Agency, representatives of the Illinois Department of Public Health, representatives of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Groundwater established in the Groundwater Protection Act, representatives of the Groundwater Advisory Council established in the Groundwater Protection Act, representatives of priority groundwater protection regional planning committees established under Section 17.2 of this Act, and up to 3 individuals appointed by the Director who are owners of properties served by private, semi-private, or non-community drinking water systems that have been impacted by a release of a contaminant. The Right-to-Know Committee, in consultation with the Agency, shall evaluate and recommend appropriate and effective methods of providing the notices required under Section 25d-3 of this Title. The methods of notification evaluated by the Right-to-Know Committee shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(a) personal notification;

(b) public meetings;

(c) signs;

(d) electronic notification; and

(e) print media.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-6 new)

Sec. 25d-6. Notification. Beginning July 1, 2006, the Agency shall make all of the following information available on the Internet:

(i) Copies of all notifications given under Section 25d-3 of this Section. The copies must be indexed and the index shall, at a minimum, be searchable by notification date, zip code, site or facility name, and geographic location.

(ii) Appropriate Agency databases containing information about releases or suspected releases of contaminants in the State. The databases must, at a minimum, be searchable by notification date, zip code, site or facility name, and geographic location.

(iii) Links to appropriate USEPA databases containing information about releases or suspected releases of contaminants in the State.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-7 new)

Sec. 25d-7. Agency coordination. Beginning January 1, 2006, the Agency shall coordinate with the Department of Public Health to provide training to regional and local health department staff on the use of the information posted on the Internet under Section 25d-6 of this Title. Also beginning January 1, 2006, the Agency shall coordinate with the Department of Public Health to provide training to licensed water well drillers on the use of the information posted on the Internet under Section 25d-6 of this Title in relation to the location and installation of new wells serving private, semi-private, and non-community water systems.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-8 new)

Sec. 25d-8. Amendment. Within 180 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, the Agency shall evaluate the Board's rules and propose amendments to the rules as necessary to require potable water supply well surveys and community relations activities where such surveys and activities are appropriate in response to releases of contaminants that have impacted or that have a reasonable likelihood of impacting offsite potable water supply wells. Within 240 days after receiving the Agency's proposal, the Board shall amend its rules as necessary to require potable water supply well surveys and community relations activities where such surveys and activities are appropriate in response to releases of contaminants that have impacted or that have a reasonable likelihood of impacting offsite potable water supply wells. Community relations activities required by the Board shall include, but shall not be limited to, submitting a community relations plan for Agency approval, maintaining a public information repository that contains timely information about the actions being taken in response to a release, and maintaining dialogue with the community through means such as public meetings, fact sheets, and community advisory groups.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-9 new)

Sec. 25d-9. Liability. Except for willful and wanton misconduct, neither the State, the Director, nor any State employee shall be liable for any damages or injuries arising out of or resulting from any act or omission occurring under this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.

(415 ILCS 5/25d-10 new)

Sec. 25d-10. Admissibility. The Agency's giving of notice or failure to give notice under Section 25d-3 of this Title shall not be admissible for any purpose in any administrative or judicial proceeding.

(415 ILCS 5/58.8)

Sec. 58.8. Duty to record.

(a) The RA receiving a No Further Remediation Letter from the Agency pursuant to Section 58.10, shall submit the letter to the Office of the Recorder or the Registrar of Titles of the county in which the site is located within 45 days of receipt of the letter. The Office of the Recorder or the Registrar of Titles shall accept and record that letter in accordance with Illinois law so that it forms a permanent part of the chain of title for the site.

(b) A No Further Remediation Letter shall not become effective until officially recorded in accordance with subsection (a) of this Section. The RA shall obtain and submit to the Agency a certified copy of the No Further Remediation Letter as recorded.

(c) (Blank). At no time shall any site for which a land use limitation has been imposed as a result of remediation activities under this Title be used in a manner inconsistent with the land use limitation unless further investigation or remedial action has been conducted that documents the attainment of objectives appropriate for the new land use and a new No Further Remediation Letter obtained and recorded in accordance with this Title.

(d) In the event that a No Further Remediation Letter issues by operation of law pursuant to Section 58.10, the RA may, for purposes of this Section, file an affidavit stating that the letter issued by operation of law. Upon receipt of the No Further Remediation Letter from the Agency, the RA shall comply with the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 92-574, eff. 6-26-02.)

Section 10. The Illinois Groundwater Protection Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

(415 ILCS 55/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7454)

Sec. 4. (a) There shall be established within State government an interagency committee which shall be known as the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Groundwater. The Committee shall be composed of the Director, or his designee, of the following agencies:

(1) The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, who shall chair the Committee.

(2) The Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

(3) The Illinois Department of Public Health.

(4) The Office of Mines and Minerals within the Department of Natural Resources.

(5) The Office of the State Fire Marshal.

(6) The Division of Water Resources of the Department of Natural Resources.

(7) The Illinois Department of Agriculture.

(8) The Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

(9) The Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety.

(10) The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Community Affairs.

(b) The Committee shall meet not less than twice each calendar year and shall:

(1) Review and coordinate the State's policy on groundwater protection.

(2) Review and evaluate State laws, regulations and procedures that relate to groundwater protection.

(3) Review and evaluate the status of the State's efforts to improve the quality of the groundwater and of the State enforcement efforts for protection of the groundwater and make recommendations on improving the State efforts to protect the groundwater.

(4) Recommend procedures for better coordination among State groundwater programs and with local programs related to groundwater protection.

(5) Review and recommend procedures to coordinate the State's response to specific incidents of groundwater pollution and coordinate dissemination of information between agencies responsible for the State's response.

(6) Make recommendations for and prioritize the State's groundwater research needs.

(7) Review, coordinate and evaluate groundwater data collection and analysis.

(8) Beginning on January 1, 1990, report biennially to the Governor and the General Assembly on groundwater quality, quantity, and the State's enforcement efforts. Beginning January 1, 2006, the Committee's biennial report shall also include, with input from the Groundwater Advisory Council established under Section 5 of this Act, the priority groundwater protection regional planning committees established pursuant to Section 17.2 of the Environmental Protection Act, and the Right-to-Know Committee established pursuant to Section 25d-5 of the Environmental Protection Act, information on the implementation of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.

(c) The Chairman of the Committee shall propose a groundwater protection regulatory agenda for consideration by the Committee and the Council. The principal purpose of the agenda shall be to systematically consider the groundwater protection aspects of relevant federal and State regulatory programs and to identify any areas where improvements may be warranted. To the extent feasible, the agenda may also serve to facilitate a more uniform and coordinated approach toward protection of groundwaters in Illinois. Upon adoption of the final agenda by the Committee, the Chairman of the Committee shall assign a lead agency and any support agencies to prepare a regulatory assessment report for each item on the agenda. Each regulatory assessment report shall specify the nature of the groundwater protection provisions being implemented and shall evaluate the results achieved therefrom. Special attention shall be given to any preventive measures being utilized for protection of groundwaters. The reports shall be completed in a timely manner. After review and consideration by the Committee, the reports shall become the basis for recommending further legislative or regulatory action.

(d) No later than January 1, 1992, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Groundwater shall provide a comprehensive status report to the Governor and the General Assembly concerning implementation of this Act.

(e) The Committee shall consider findings and recommendations that are provided by the Council, and respond in writing regarding such matters. The Chairman of the Committee shall designate a liaison person to serve as a facilitator of communications with the Council.

(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96; revised 12-6-03.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".