SB3344 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 19292 JDS 34683 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
SB3344

Introduced 2/10/2010, by Sen. James F. Clayborne, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

415 ILCS 5/4	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1004
415 ILCS 5/39	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1039
415 ILCS 5/39.6 new

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, without public notice, to provide permit applicants with an opportunity to review and comment on draft permits. Authorizes the Agency, without public notice, to modify draft permits. Requires the Agency, to the maximum extent possible, to issue general (rather than site-specific) air permits. Requires the Agency to expedite NPDES permit renewals if certain requirements are met. Authorizes the Illinois Pollution Control Board to adopt rules providing for the issuance of air permits by rule, if it deems that a class of facilities or equipment does not "make a significant contribution of air contaminants to the atmosphere". Requires the Agency to issue permits to the owners or operators of facilities or equipment meeting the requirements of the rules adopted by the Board. Requires the Agency to create common company identification numbers to be used agency-wide to refer to companies that do business in the State. Requires the Agency to create a permit streamlining unit.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by changing Sections 4 and 39 and by adding Section 39.6 as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/4) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1004)

Sec. 4. Environmental Protection Agency; establishment; duties.

(a) There is established in the Executive Branch of the State Government an agency to be known as the Environmental Protection Agency. This Agency shall be under the supervision and direction of a Director who shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The term of office of the Director shall expire on the third Monday of January in odd numbered years, provided that he or she shall hold office until a successor is appointed and has qualified. The Director shall receive an annual salary as set by the Compensation Review Board. The Director, in accord with the Personnel Code, shall employ and direct such personnel, and shall provide for such laboratory and other facilities, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. In addition, the Director may by agreement secure such services as he or she may deem necessary from any other department, agency, or unit of the State Government, and may employ and compensate such consultants and technical assistants as may be required.

(b) The Agency shall have the duty to collect and disseminate such information, acquire such technical data, and conduct such experiments as may be required to carry out the purposes of this Act, including ascertainment of the quantity and nature of discharges from any contaminant source and data on those sources, and to operate and arrange for the operation of devices for the monitoring of environmental quality.

(c) The Agency shall have authority to conduct a program of continuing surveillance and of regular or periodic inspection of actual or potential contaminant or noise sources, of public water supplies, and of refuse disposal sites.

(d) In accordance with constitutional limitations, the Agency shall have authority to enter at all reasonable times upon any private or public property for the purpose of:

(1) Inspecting and investigating to ascertain possible violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order; or

(2) In accordance with the provisions of this Act, taking whatever preventive or corrective action, including but not limited to removal or remedial action, that is necessary or appropriate whenever there is a release or a substantial threat of a release of (A) a hazardous substance or pesticide or (B) petroleum from an underground storage tank.

(e) The Agency shall have the duty to investigate violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order; to issue administrative citations as provided in Section 31.1 of this Act; and to take such summary enforcement action as is provided for by Section 34 of this Act.

(f) The Agency shall appear before the Board in any hearing upon a petition for variance, the denial of a permit, or the validity or effect of a rule or regulation of the Board, and shall have the authority to appear before the Board in any hearing under the Act.

(g) The Agency shall have the duty to administer, in accord with Title X of this Act, such permit and certification systems as may be established by this Act or by regulations adopted thereunder. The Agency may enter into written delegation agreements with any department, agency, or unit of State or local government under which all or portions of this duty may be delegated for public water supply storage and transport systems, sewage collection and transport systems, air pollution control sources with uncontrolled emissions of 100 tons per year or less and application of algicides to waters of the State. Such delegation agreements will require that the work to be performed thereunder will be in accordance with Agency criteria, subject to Agency review, and shall include such financial and program auditing by the Agency as may be required.

(h) The Agency shall have authority to require the submission of complete plans and specifications from any applicant for a permit required by this Act or by regulations thereunder, and to require the submission of such reports regarding actual or potential violations of this Act, any rule or regulation adopted under this Act, any permit or term or condition of a permit, or any Board order, as may be necessary for the purposes of this Act.

(i) The Agency shall have authority to make recommendations to the Board for the adoption of regulations under Title VII of the Act.

(j) The Agency shall have the duty to represent the State of Illinois in any and all matters pertaining to plans, procedures, or negotiations for interstate compacts or other governmental arrangements relating to environmental protection.

(k) The Agency shall have the authority to accept, receive, and administer on behalf of the State any grants, gifts, loans, indirect cost reimbursements, or other funds made available to the State from any source for purposes of this Act or for air or water pollution control, public water supply, solid waste disposal, noise abatement, or other environmental protection activities, surveys, or programs. Any federal funds received by the Agency pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in a trust fund with the State Treasurer and held and disbursed by him in accordance with Treasurer as Custodian of Funds Act, provided that such monies shall be used only for the purposes for which they are contributed and any balance remaining shall be returned to the contributor.

The Agency is authorized to promulgate such regulations and enter into such contracts as it may deem necessary for carrying out the provisions of this subsection.

(l) The Agency is hereby designated as water pollution agency for the state for all purposes of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended; as implementing agency for the State for all purposes of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Public Law 93-523, as now or hereafter amended, except Section 1425 of that Act; as air pollution agency for the state for all purposes of the Clean Air Act of 1970, Public Law 91-604, approved December 31, 1970, as amended; and as solid waste agency for the state for all purposes of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, Public Law 89-272, approved October 20, 1965, and amended by the Resource Recovery Act of 1970, Public Law 91-512, approved October 26, 1970, as amended, and amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, (P.L. 94-580) approved October 21, 1976, as amended; as noise control agency for the state for all purposes of the Noise Control Act of 1972, Public Law 92-574, approved October 27, 1972, as amended; and as implementing agency for the State for all purposes of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-510), as amended; and otherwise as pollution control agency for the State pursuant to federal laws integrated with the foregoing laws, for financing purposes or otherwise. The Agency is hereby authorized to take all action necessary or appropriate to secure to the State the benefits of such federal Acts, provided that the Agency shall transmit to the United States without change any standards adopted by the Pollution Control Board pursuant to Section 5(c) of this Act. This subsection (l) of Section 4 shall not be construed to bar or prohibit the Environmental Protection Trust Fund Commission from accepting, receiving, and administering on behalf of the State any grants, gifts, loans or other funds for which the Commission is eligible pursuant to the Environmental Protection Trust Fund Act. The Agency is hereby designated as the State agency for all purposes of administering the requirements of Section 313 of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986.

Any municipality, sanitary district, or other political subdivision, or any Agency of the State or interstate Agency, which makes application for loans or grants under such federal Acts shall notify the Agency of such application; the Agency may participate in proceedings under such federal Acts.

(m) The Agency shall have authority, consistent with Section 5(c) and other provisions of this Act, and for purposes of Section 303(e) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, to engage in planning processes and activities and to develop plans in cooperation with units of local government, state agencies and officers, and other appropriate persons in connection with the jurisdiction or duties of each such unit, agency, officer or person. Public hearings shall be held on the planning process, at which any person shall be permitted to appear and be heard, pursuant to procedural regulations promulgated by the Agency.

(n) In accordance with the powers conferred upon the Agency by Sections 10(g), 13(b), 19, 22(d) and 25 of this Act, the Agency shall have authority to establish and enforce minimum standards for the operation of laboratories relating to analyses and laboratory tests for air pollution, water pollution, noise emissions, contaminant discharges onto land and sanitary, chemical, and mineral quality of water distributed by a public water supply. The Agency may enter into formal working agreements with other departments or agencies of state government under which all or portions of this authority may be delegated to the cooperating department or agency.

(o) The Agency shall have the authority to issue certificates of competency to persons and laboratories meeting the minimum standards established by the Agency in accordance with Section 4(n) of this Act and to promulgate and enforce regulations relevant to the issuance and use of such certificates. The Agency may enter into formal working agreements with other departments or agencies of state government under which all or portions of this authority may be delegated to the cooperating department or agency.

(p) Except as provided in Section 17.7, the Agency shall have the duty to analyze samples as required from each public water supply to determine compliance with the contaminant levels specified by the Pollution Control Board. The maximum number of samples which the Agency shall be required to analyze for microbiological quality shall be 6 per month, but the Agency may, at its option, analyze a larger number each month for any supply. Results of sample analyses for additional required bacteriological testing, turbidity, residual chlorine and radionuclides are to be provided to the Agency in accordance with Section 19. Owners of water supplies may enter into agreements with the Agency to provide for reduced Agency participation in sample analyses.

(q) The Agency shall have the authority to provide notice to any person who may be liable pursuant to Section 22.2(f) of this Act for a release or a substantial threat of a release of a hazardous substance or pesticide. Such notice shall include the identified response action and an opportunity for such person to perform the response action.

(r) The Agency may enter into written delegation agreements with any unit of local government under which it may delegate all or portions of its inspecting, investigating and enforcement functions. Such delegation agreements shall require that work performed thereunder be in accordance with Agency criteria and subject to Agency review. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no unit of local government shall be liable for any injury resulting from the exercise of its authority pursuant to such a delegation agreement unless the injury is proximately caused by the willful and wanton negligence of an agent or employee of the unit of local government, and any policy of insurance coverage issued to a unit of local government may provide for the denial of liability and the nonpayment of claims based upon injuries for which the unit of local government is not liable pursuant to this subsection (r).

(s) The Agency shall have authority to take whatever preventive or corrective action is necessary or appropriate, including but not limited to expenditure of monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund and the Build Illinois Purposes Fund for removal or remedial action, whenever any hazardous substance or pesticide is released or there is a substantial threat of such a release into the environment. The State, the Director, and any State employee shall be indemnified for any damages or injury arising out of or resulting from any action taken under this subsection. The Director of the Agency is authorized to enter into such contracts and agreements as are necessary to carry out the Agency's duties under this subsection.

(t) The Agency shall have authority to distribute grants, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to units of local government for financing and construction of wastewater facilities in both incorporated and unincorporated areas. With respect to all monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund and the Build Illinois Purposes Fund for wastewater facility grants, the Agency shall make distributions in conformity with the rules and regulations established pursuant to the Anti-Pollution Bond Act, as now or hereafter amended.

(u) Pursuant to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the Agency shall have the authority to adopt such rules as are necessary or appropriate for the Agency to implement Section 31.1 of this Act.

(v) (Blank.)

(w) Neither the State, nor the Director, nor the Board, nor any State employee shall be liable for any damages or injury arising out of or resulting from any action taken under subsection (s).

(x)(1) The Agency shall have authority to distribute grants, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, to units of local government for financing and construction of public water supply facilities. With respect to all monies appropriated from the Build Illinois Bond Fund or the Build Illinois Purposes Fund for public water supply grants, such grants shall be made in accordance with rules promulgated by the Agency. Such rules shall include a requirement for a local match of 30% of the total project cost for projects funded through such grants.

(2) The Agency shall not terminate a grant to a unit of local government for the financing and construction of public water supply facilities unless and until the Agency adopts rules that set forth precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for the termination of such grants. The Agency shall not make determinations on whether specific grant conditions are necessary to ensure the integrity of a project or on whether subagreements shall be awarded, with respect to grants for the financing and construction of public water supply facilities, unless and until the Agency adopts rules that set forth precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for making such determinations. The Agency shall not issue a stop-work order in relation to such grants unless and until the Agency adopts precise and complete standards, pursuant to Section 5-20 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, for determining whether to issue a stop-work order.

(y) The Agency shall have authority to release any person from further responsibility for preventive or corrective action under this Act following successful completion of preventive or corrective action undertaken by such person upon written request by the person.

(z) To the extent permitted by any applicable federal law or regulation, for all work performed for State construction projects which are funded in whole or in part by a capital infrastructure bill enacted by the 96th General Assembly by sums appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency, at least 50% of the total labor hours must be performed by actual residents of the State of Illinois. For purposes of this subsection, "actual residents of the State of Illinois" means persons domiciled in the State of Illinois. The Department of Labor shall promulgate rules providing for the enforcement of this subsection.

(aa) The Agency shall, for the purpose of identifying companies that do business in the State, establish a common company identification number to be used agency-wide to refer to such companies.

(bb) The Agency shall create a permit streamlining unit. The unit shall serve to expedite the issuance of air and water permits.

(Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09; 96-503, eff. 8-14-09; 96-800, eff. 10-30-09; revised 11-23-09.)

(415 ILCS 5/39) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1039)

Sec. 39. Issuance of permits; procedures.

(a) When the Board has by regulation required a permit for the construction, installation, or operation of any type of facility, equipment, vehicle, vessel, or aircraft, the applicant shall apply to the Agency for such permit and it shall be the duty of the Agency to issue such a permit upon proof by the applicant that the facility, equipment, vehicle, vessel, or aircraft will not cause a violation of this Act or of regulations hereunder. The Agency shall adopt such procedures as are necessary to carry out its duties under this Section. In making its determinations on permit applications under this Section the Agency may consider prior adjudications of noncompliance with this Act by the applicant that involved a release of a contaminant into the environment. In granting permits, the Agency may impose reasonable conditions specifically related to the applicant's past compliance history with this Act as necessary to correct, detect, or prevent noncompliance. The Agency may impose such other conditions as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act, and as are not inconsistent with the regulations promulgated by the Board hereunder. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a bond or other security shall not be required as a condition for the issuance of a permit. If the Agency denies any permit under this Section, the Agency shall transmit to the applicant within the time limitations of this Section specific, detailed statements as to the reasons the permit application was denied. Such statements shall include, but not be limited to the following:

(i) the Sections of this Act which may be violated if the permit were granted;

(ii) the provision of the regulations, promulgated under this Act, which may be violated if the permit were granted;

(iii) the specific type of information, if any, which the Agency deems the applicant did not provide the Agency; and

(iv) a statement of specific reasons why the Act and the regulations might not be met if the permit were granted.

If there is no final action by the Agency within 90 days after the filing of the application for permit, the applicant may deem the permit issued; except that this time period shall be extended to 180 days when (1) notice and opportunity for public hearing are required by State or federal law or regulation, (2) the application which was filed is for any permit to develop a landfill subject to issuance pursuant to this subsection, or (3) the application that was filed is for a MSWLF unit required to issue public notice under subsection (p) of Section 39. The 90-day and 180-day time periods for the Agency to take final action do not apply to NPDES permit applications under subsection (b) of this Section, to RCRA permit applications under subsection (d) of this Section, or to UIC permit applications under subsection (e) of this Section.

The Agency shall publish notice of all final permit determinations for development permits for MSWLF units and for significant permit modifications for lateral expansions for existing MSWLF units one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the unit is or is proposed to be located.

After January 1, 1994 and until July 1, 1998, operating permits issued under this Section by the Agency for sources of air pollution permitted to emit less than 25 tons per year of any combination of regulated air pollutants, as defined in Section 39.5 of this Act, shall be required to be renewed only upon written request by the Agency consistent with applicable provisions of this Act and regulations promulgated hereunder. Such operating permits shall expire 180 days after the date of such a request. The Board shall revise its regulations for the existing State air pollution operating permit program consistent with this provision by January 1, 1994.

After June 30, 1998, operating permits issued under this Section by the Agency for sources of air pollution that are not subject to Section 39.5 of this Act and are not required to have a federally enforceable State operating permit shall be required to be renewed only upon written request by the Agency consistent with applicable provisions of this Act and its rules. Such operating permits shall expire 180 days after the date of such a request. Before July 1, 1998, the Board shall revise its rules for the existing State air pollution operating permit program consistent with this paragraph and shall adopt rules that require a source to demonstrate that it qualifies for a permit under this paragraph.

If requested by the applicant at the time an application for permit is filed, the Agency shall provide the applicant, before issuing a public notice for any permit, a brief opportunity to review and comment upon a proposed draft permit. The Agency shall consider those comments and may modify the draft permit before issuing any required public notice or permit, as applicable. In the event that the applicant requests a pre-public notice review and comment period, the 90-day and 180-day periods for the Agency to take final action will be extended by the length of such review and comment period.

The Agency shall, to the extent that doing so is possible and consistent with other relevant federal and State law, issue general permits for categories of similar sources. Such permits shall conform to regulations promulgated for the particular program for which the general permit shall apply.

Within one year after after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the Agency shall make all permit applications on-line, editable, and savable files.

(b) The Agency may issue NPDES permits exclusively under this subsection for the discharge of contaminants from point sources into navigable waters, all as defined in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, within the jurisdiction of the State, or into any well.

All NPDES permits shall contain those terms and conditions, including but not limited to schedules of compliance, which may be required to accomplish the purposes and provisions of this Act.

The Agency may issue general NPDES permits for discharges from categories of point sources which are subject to the same permit limitations and conditions. Such general permits may be issued without individual applications and shall conform to regulations promulgated under Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended.

The Agency may include, among such conditions, effluent limitations and other requirements established under this Act, Board regulations, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and regulations pursuant thereto, and schedules for achieving compliance therewith at the earliest reasonable date.

The Agency shall adopt filing requirements and procedures which are necessary and appropriate for the issuance of NPDES permits, and which are consistent with the Act or regulations adopted by the Board, and with the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

The Agency, subject to any conditions which may be prescribed by Board regulations, may issue NPDES permits to allow discharges beyond deadlines established by this Act or by regulations of the Board without the requirement of a variance, subject to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

The Agency shall adopt an expedited process for those NPDES permit renewals where the applicant certifies that no change is included in the renewal.

(c) Except for those facilities owned or operated by sanitary districts organized under the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act, no permit for the development or construction of a new pollution control facility may be granted by the Agency unless the applicant submits proof to the Agency that the location of the facility has been approved by the County Board of the county if in an unincorporated area, or the governing body of the municipality when in an incorporated area, in which the facility is to be located in accordance with Section 39.2 of this Act. For purposes of this subsection (c), and for purposes of Section 39.2 of this Act, the appropriate county board or governing body of the municipality shall be the county board of the county or the governing body of the municipality in which the facility is to be located as of the date when the application for siting approval is filed.

In the event that siting approval granted pursuant to Section 39.2 has been transferred to a subsequent owner or operator, that subsequent owner or operator may apply to the Agency for, and the Agency may grant, a development or construction permit for the facility for which local siting approval was granted. Upon application to the Agency for a development or construction permit by that subsequent owner or operator, the permit applicant shall cause written notice of the permit application to be served upon the appropriate county board or governing body of the municipality that granted siting approval for that facility and upon any party to the siting proceeding pursuant to which siting approval was granted. In that event, the Agency shall conduct an evaluation of the subsequent owner or operator's prior experience in waste management operations in the manner conducted under subsection (i) of Section 39 of this Act.

Beginning August 20, 1993, if the pollution control facility consists of a hazardous or solid waste disposal facility for which the proposed site is located in an unincorporated area of a county with a population of less than 100,000 and includes all or a portion of a parcel of land that was, on April 1, 1993, adjacent to a municipality having a population of less than 5,000, then the local siting review required under this subsection (c) in conjunction with any permit applied for after that date shall be performed by the governing body of that adjacent municipality rather than the county board of the county in which the proposed site is located; and for the purposes of that local siting review, any references in this Act to the county board shall be deemed to mean the governing body of that adjacent municipality; provided, however, that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any proposed site which was, on April 1, 1993, owned in whole or in part by another municipality.

In the case of a pollution control facility for which a development permit was issued before November 12, 1981, if an operating permit has not been issued by the Agency prior to August 31, 1989 for any portion of the facility, then the Agency may not issue or renew any development permit nor issue an original operating permit for any portion of such facility unless the applicant has submitted proof to the Agency that the location of the facility has been approved by the appropriate county board or municipal governing body pursuant to Section 39.2 of this Act.

After January 1, 1994, if a solid waste disposal facility, any portion for which an operating permit has been issued by the Agency, has not accepted waste disposal for 5 or more consecutive calendars years, before that facility may accept any new or additional waste for disposal, the owner and operator must obtain a new operating permit under this Act for that facility unless the owner and operator have applied to the Agency for a permit authorizing the temporary suspension of waste acceptance. The Agency may not issue a new operation permit under this Act for the facility unless the applicant has submitted proof to the Agency that the location of the facility has been approved or re-approved by the appropriate county board or municipal governing body under Section 39.2 of this Act after the facility ceased accepting waste.

Except for those facilities owned or operated by sanitary districts organized under the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act, and except for new pollution control facilities governed by Section 39.2, and except for fossil fuel mining facilities, the granting of a permit under this Act shall not relieve the applicant from meeting and securing all necessary zoning approvals from the unit of government having zoning jurisdiction over the proposed facility.

Before beginning construction on any new sewage treatment plant or sludge drying site to be owned or operated by a sanitary district organized under the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Act for which a new permit (rather than the renewal or amendment of an existing permit) is required, such sanitary district shall hold a public hearing within the municipality within which the proposed facility is to be located, or within the nearest community if the proposed facility is to be located within an unincorporated area, at which information concerning the proposed facility shall be made available to the public, and members of the public shall be given the opportunity to express their views concerning the proposed facility.

The Agency may issue a permit for a municipal waste transfer station without requiring approval pursuant to Section 39.2 provided that the following demonstration is made:

(1) the municipal waste transfer station was in existence on or before January 1, 1979 and was in continuous operation from January 1, 1979 to January 1, 1993;

(2) the operator submitted a permit application to the Agency to develop and operate the municipal waste transfer station during April of 1994;

(3) the operator can demonstrate that the county board of the county, if the municipal waste transfer station is in an unincorporated area, or the governing body of the municipality, if the station is in an incorporated area, does not object to resumption of the operation of the station; and

(4) the site has local zoning approval.

(d) The Agency may issue RCRA permits exclusively under this subsection to persons owning or operating a facility for the treatment, storage, or disposal of hazardous waste as defined under this Act.

All RCRA permits shall contain those terms and conditions, including but not limited to schedules of compliance, which may be required to accomplish the purposes and provisions of this Act. The Agency may include among such conditions standards and other requirements established under this Act, Board regulations, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-580), as amended, and regulations pursuant thereto, and may include schedules for achieving compliance therewith as soon as possible. The Agency shall require that a performance bond or other security be provided as a condition for the issuance of a RCRA permit.

In the case of a permit to operate a hazardous waste or PCB incinerator as defined in subsection (k) of Section 44, the Agency shall require, as a condition of the permit, that the operator of the facility perform such analyses of the waste to be incinerated as may be necessary and appropriate to ensure the safe operation of the incinerator.

The Agency shall adopt filing requirements and procedures which are necessary and appropriate for the issuance of RCRA permits, and which are consistent with the Act or regulations adopted by the Board, and with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-580), as amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

The applicant shall make available to the public for inspection all documents submitted by the applicant to the Agency in furtherance of an application, with the exception of trade secrets, at the office of the county board or governing body of the municipality. Such documents may be copied upon payment of the actual cost of reproduction during regular business hours of the local office. The Agency shall issue a written statement concurrent with its grant or denial of the permit explaining the basis for its decision.

(e) The Agency may issue UIC permits exclusively under this subsection to persons owning or operating a facility for the underground injection of contaminants as defined under this Act.

All UIC permits shall contain those terms and conditions, including but not limited to schedules of compliance, which may be required to accomplish the purposes and provisions of this Act. The Agency may include among such conditions standards and other requirements established under this Act, Board regulations, the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, and regulations pursuant thereto, and may include schedules for achieving compliance therewith. The Agency shall require that a performance bond or other security be provided as a condition for the issuance of a UIC permit.

The Agency shall adopt filing requirements and procedures which are necessary and appropriate for the issuance of UIC permits, and which are consistent with the Act or regulations adopted by the Board, and with the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

The applicant shall make available to the public for inspection, all documents submitted by the applicant to the Agency in furtherance of an application, with the exception of trade secrets, at the office of the county board or governing body of the municipality. Such documents may be copied upon payment of the actual cost of reproduction during regular business hours of the local office. The Agency shall issue a written statement concurrent with its grant or denial of the permit explaining the basis for its decision.

(f) In making any determination pursuant to Section 9.1 of this Act:

(1) The Agency shall have authority to make the determination of any question required to be determined by the Clean Air Act, as now or hereafter amended, this Act, or the regulations of the Board, including the determination of the Lowest Achievable Emission Rate, Maximum Achievable Control Technology, or Best Available Control Technology, consistent with the Board's regulations, if any.

(2) The Agency shall, after conferring with the applicant, give written notice to the applicant of its proposed decision on the application including the terms and conditions of the permit to be issued and the facts, conduct or other basis upon which the Agency will rely to support its proposed action.

(3) Following such notice, the Agency shall give the applicant an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the provisions of Sections 10-25 through 10-60 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

(g) The Agency shall include as conditions upon all permits issued for hazardous waste disposal sites such restrictions upon the future use of such sites as are reasonably necessary to protect public health and the environment, including permanent prohibition of the use of such sites for purposes which may create an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or to the environment. After administrative and judicial challenges to such restrictions have been exhausted, the Agency shall file such restrictions of record in the Office of the Recorder of the county in which the hazardous waste disposal site is located.

(h) A hazardous waste stream may not be deposited in a permitted hazardous waste site unless specific authorization is obtained from the Agency by the generator and disposal site owner and operator for the deposit of that specific hazardous waste stream. The Agency may grant specific authorization for disposal of hazardous waste streams only after the generator has reasonably demonstrated that, considering technological feasibility and economic reasonableness, the hazardous waste cannot be reasonably recycled for reuse, nor incinerated or chemically, physically or biologically treated so as to neutralize the hazardous waste and render it nonhazardous. In granting authorization under this Section, the Agency may impose such conditions as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Act and are consistent with this Act and regulations promulgated by the Board hereunder. If the Agency refuses to grant authorization under this Section, the applicant may appeal as if the Agency refused to grant a permit, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of Section 40 of this Act. For purposes of this subsection (h), the term "generator" has the meaning given in Section 3.205 of this Act, unless: (1) the hazardous waste is treated, incinerated, or partially recycled for reuse prior to disposal, in which case the last person who treats, incinerates, or partially recycles the hazardous waste prior to disposal is the generator; or (2) the hazardous waste is from a response action, in which case the person performing the response action is the generator. This subsection (h) does not apply to any hazardous waste that is restricted from land disposal under 35 Ill. Adm. Code 728.

(i) Before issuing any RCRA permit, any permit for a waste storage site, sanitary landfill, waste disposal site, waste transfer station, waste treatment facility, waste incinerator, or any waste-transportation operation, or any permit or interim authorization for a clean construction or demolition debris fill operation, the Agency shall conduct an evaluation of the prospective owner's or operator's prior experience in waste management operations and clean construction or demolition debris fill operations. The Agency may deny such a permit, or deny or revoke interim authorization, if the prospective owner or operator or any employee or officer of the prospective owner or operator has a history of:

(1) repeated violations of federal, State, or local laws, regulations, standards, or ordinances in the operation of waste management facilities or sites or clean construction or demolition debris fill operation facilities or sites; or

(2) conviction in this or another State of any crime which is a felony under the laws of this State, or conviction of a felony in a federal court; or conviction in this or another state or federal court of any of the following crimes: forgery, official misconduct, bribery, perjury, or knowingly submitting false information under any environmental law, regulation, or permit term or condition; or

(3) proof of gross carelessness or incompetence in handling, storing, processing, transporting or disposing of waste or clean construction or demolition debris, or proof of gross carelessness or incompetence in using clean construction or demolition debris as fill.

(i-5) Before issuing any permit or approving any interim authorization for a clean construction or demolition debris fill operation in which any ownership interest is transferred between January 1, 2005, and the effective date of the prohibition set forth in Section 22.52 of this Act, the Agency shall conduct an evaluation of the operation if any previous activities at the site or facility may have caused or allowed contamination of the site. It shall be the responsibility of the owner or operator seeking the permit or interim authorization to provide to the Agency all of the information necessary for the Agency to conduct its evaluation. The Agency may deny a permit or interim authorization if previous activities at the site may have caused or allowed contamination at the site, unless such contamination is authorized under any permit issued by the Agency.

(j) The issuance under this Act of a permit to engage in the surface mining of any resources other than fossil fuels shall not relieve the permittee from its duty to comply with any applicable local law regulating the commencement, location or operation of surface mining facilities.

(k) A development permit issued under subsection (a) of Section 39 for any facility or site which is required to have a permit under subsection (d) of Section 21 shall expire at the end of 2 calendar years from the date upon which it was issued, unless within that period the applicant has taken action to develop the facility or the site. In the event that review of the conditions of the development permit is sought pursuant to Section 40 or 41, or permittee is prevented from commencing development of the facility or site by any other litigation beyond the permittee's control, such two-year period shall be deemed to begin on the date upon which such review process or litigation is concluded.

(l) No permit shall be issued by the Agency under this Act for construction or operation of any facility or site located within the boundaries of any setback zone established pursuant to this Act, where such construction or operation is prohibited.

(m) The Agency may issue permits to persons owning or operating a facility for composting landscape waste. In granting such permits, the Agency may impose such conditions as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act, and as are not inconsistent with applicable regulations promulgated by the Board. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a bond or other security shall not be required as a condition for the issuance of a permit. If the Agency denies any permit pursuant to this subsection, the Agency shall transmit to the applicant within the time limitations of this subsection specific, detailed statements as to the reasons the permit application was denied. Such statements shall include but not be limited to the following:

(1) the Sections of this Act that may be violated if the permit were granted;

(2) the specific regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act that may be violated if the permit were granted;

(3) the specific information, if any, the Agency deems the applicant did not provide in its application to the Agency; and

(4) a statement of specific reasons why the Act and the regulations might be violated if the permit were granted.

If no final action is taken by the Agency within 90 days after the filing of the application for permit, the applicant may deem the permit issued. Any applicant for a permit may waive the 90 day limitation by filing a written statement with the Agency.

The Agency shall issue permits for such facilities upon receipt of an application that includes a legal description of the site, a topographic map of the site drawn to the scale of 200 feet to the inch or larger, a description of the operation, including the area served, an estimate of the volume of materials to be processed, and documentation that:

(1) the facility includes a setback of at least 200 feet from the nearest potable water supply well;

(2) the facility is located outside the boundary of the 10-year floodplain or the site will be floodproofed;

(3) the facility is located so as to minimize incompatibility with the character of the surrounding area, including at least a 200 foot setback from any residence, and in the case of a facility that is developed or the permitted composting area of which is expanded after November 17, 1991, the composting area is located at least 1/8 mile from the nearest residence (other than a residence located on the same property as the facility);

(4) the design of the facility will prevent any compost material from being placed within 5 feet of the water table, will adequately control runoff from the site, and will collect and manage any leachate that is generated on the site;

(5) the operation of the facility will include appropriate dust and odor control measures, limitations on operating hours, appropriate noise control measures for shredding, chipping and similar equipment, management procedures for composting, containment and disposal of non-compostable wastes, procedures to be used for terminating operations at the site, and recordkeeping sufficient to document the amount of materials received, composted and otherwise disposed of; and

(6) the operation will be conducted in accordance with any applicable rules adopted by the Board.

The Agency shall issue renewable permits of not longer than 10 years in duration for the composting of landscape wastes, as defined in Section 3.155 of this Act, based on the above requirements.

The operator of any facility permitted under this subsection (m) must submit a written annual statement to the Agency on or before April 1 of each year that includes an estimate of the amount of material, in tons, received for composting.

(n) The Agency shall issue permits jointly with the Department of Transportation for the dredging or deposit of material in Lake Michigan in accordance with Section 18 of the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act.

(o) (Blank.)

(p) (1) Any person submitting an application for a permit for a new MSWLF unit or for a lateral expansion under subsection (t) of Section 21 of this Act for an existing MSWLF unit that has not received and is not subject to local siting approval under Section 39.2 of this Act shall publish notice of the application in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the MSWLF unit is or is proposed to be located. The notice must be published at least 15 days before submission of the permit application to the Agency. The notice shall state the name and address of the applicant, the location of the MSWLF unit or proposed MSWLF unit, the nature and size of the MSWLF unit or proposed MSWLF unit, the nature of the activity proposed, the probable life of the proposed activity, the date the permit application will be submitted, and a statement that persons may file written comments with the Agency concerning the permit application within 30 days after the filing of the permit application unless the time period to submit comments is extended by the Agency.

When a permit applicant submits information to the Agency to supplement a permit application being reviewed by the Agency, the applicant shall not be required to reissue the notice under this subsection.

(2) The Agency shall accept written comments concerning the permit application that are postmarked no later than 30 days after the filing of the permit application, unless the time period to accept comments is extended by the Agency.

(3) Each applicant for a permit described in part (1) of this subsection shall file a copy of the permit application with the county board or governing body of the municipality in which the MSWLF unit is or is proposed to be located at the same time the application is submitted to the Agency. The permit application filed with the county board or governing body of the municipality shall include all documents submitted to or to be submitted to the Agency, except trade secrets as determined under Section 7.1 of this Act. The permit application and other documents on file with the county board or governing body of the municipality shall be made available for public inspection during regular business hours at the office of the county board or the governing body of the municipality and may be copied upon payment of the actual cost of reproduction.

(Source: P.A. 94-272, eff. 7-19-05; 94-725, eff. 6-1-06; 95-288, eff. 8-20-07.)

(415 ILCS 5/39.6 new)

Sec. 39.6. Air permits by rule.

(a) The Board may, by rule, adopt air permits for classes of facilities or equipment that it finds will not make a significant contribution of air contaminants to the atmosphere. The Board may not, by rule, adopt an air permit authorizing a source defined as "major" under any applicable preconstruction permitting requirements of the federal Clean Air Act or regulations adopted under that Act.

(b) The Board shall, by rule, specifically define the terms and conditions for granting a permit under this Section.

(c) The Agency shall issue permits to the owners or operators of facilities or equipment that satisfy the requirements established by Board rule under this Section.

(d) The Board shall expedite the rulemakings for permits issued under this Section.