Sen. Bill Cunningham

Filed: 4/15/2016

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 577

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 577 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by
5changing Sections 35, 36, and 38 and by adding Sections 3.547
6and 38.5 as follows:
 
7    (415 ILCS 5/3.547 new)
8    Sec. 3.547. Water quality standards variance. "Water
9quality standards variance" has the meaning ascribed to that
10term in 40 CFR 131.3(o).
 
11    (415 ILCS 5/35)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1035)
12    Sec. 35. Variances; general provisions. To the extent
13consistent with applicable provisions of the Federal Water
14Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, the Federal
15Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as now or hereafter

 

 

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1amended, the Clean Air Act as amended in 1977 (P.L. 95-95), and
2regulations pursuant thereto, and to the extent consistent with
3applicable provisions of the Federal Resource Conservation and
4Recovery Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-580), and regulations pursuant
5thereto:
6    (a) The Board may grant individual variances beyond the
7limitations prescribed in this Act, whenever it is found, upon
8presentation of adequate proof, that compliance with any rule
9or regulation, requirement or order of the Board would impose
10an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship. However, the Board is
11not required to find that an arbitrary or unreasonable hardship
12exists exclusively because the regulatory standard is under
13review and the costs of compliance are substantial and certain.
14In granting or denying a variance the Board shall file and
15publish a written opinion stating the facts and reasons leading
16to its decision.
17    (b) The Agency shall grant provisional variances whenever
18it is found, upon presentation of adequate proof, that
19compliance on a short term basis with any rule or regulation,
20requirement or order of the Board, or with any permit
21requirement, would impose an arbitrary or unreasonable
22hardship.
23    (c) Except as provided in subsection (b) of Section 38,
24water quality standards variances shall be governed solely by
25Section 38.5 of this Act.
26(Source: P.A. 93-152, eff. 7-10-03.)
 

 

 

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1    (415 ILCS 5/36)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1036)
2    Sec. 36. Variances and provisional variances.
3    (a) In granting a variance pursuant to Section 35 of this
4Act the Board may impose such conditions as the policies of
5this Act may require. If the hardship complained of consists
6solely of the need for a reasonable delay in which to correct a
7violation of this Act or of the Board regulations, the Board
8shall condition the grant of such variance upon the posting of
9sufficient performance bond or other security to assure the
10completion of the work covered by the variance. The Board shall
11have no authority to delegate to the Agency its powers to
12require such performance bond. The original amount of such
13performance bond shall not exceed the reasonable cost of the
14work to be completed pursuant to the variance. The obligation
15under such bond shall at no time exceed the reasonable cost of
16work remaining pursuant to the variance.
17    (b) Except as provided by Section 38 of this Act, any
18variance granted by the Board pursuant to subsection (a) of
19Section 35 the provisions of this Section shall be granted for
20such period of time, not exceeding five years, as shall be
21specified by the Board at the time of the grant of such
22variance, and upon the condition that the person who receives
23such variance shall make such periodic progress reports as the
24Board shall specify. Such variance may be extended from year to
25year by affirmative action of the Board, but only if

 

 

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1satisfactory progress has been shown.
2    (c) Any provisional variance granted by the Agency pursuant
3to subsection (b) of Section 35 shall be for a period of time
4not to exceed 45 days. A provisional variance may be extended
5up to an additional 45 days by written decision of the Agency.
6The provisional variances granted to any one person shall not
7exceed a total of 90 days during any calendar year.
8(Source: P.A. 93-152, eff. 7-10-03.)
 
9    (415 ILCS 5/38)  (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1038)
10    Sec. 38. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections
11subsection (c) and (d), if the Board fails to take final action
12upon a variance request within 120 days after the filing of the
13petition or the receipt of a request for hearing pursuant to
14subsection (a) of Section 37, whichever is later, the
15petitioner may deem the request granted under this Act, for a
16period not to exceed one year. However, the period of 120 days
17shall not run for any such period of time, not to exceed 30
18days, during which the Board is without sufficient membership
19to constitute the quorum required by subsection (a) of Section
205 of this Act, provided that such 120 day period shall not be
21stayed for lack of quorum beyond 30 days regardless of whether
22the lack of quorum exists at the beginning of such 120 day
23period or occurs during the running of such 120 day period.
24    (b) If any person files a petition for a variance from a
25rule or regulation pursuant to Section 37 or Section 38.5

 

 

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1within 20 days after the effective date of such rule or
2regulation, the operation of such rule or regulation shall be
3stayed as to such person pending the disposition of the
4petition; provided, however, that the operation of any rule or
5regulation adopted by the Board which implements, in whole or
6in part, a State RCRA, UIC, or NPDES program shall not be
7stayed.
8    The Board may hold a hearing upon said petition 5 days from
9the date of notice of such hearing or thereafter. All the
10provisions of this Title shall apply to petitions for extension
11of existing variances and to proposed Contaminant Reduction
12programs designed to secure delayed compliance with the Act or
13with Board regulations.
14    (c) Subsection (a) of this Section shall not apply to a
15request for a variance from any provision of this Act or any
16rule or regulation adopted by the Board which implements, in
17whole or in part, a State RCRA, UIC, or NPDES program. If the
18Board fails to take final action on any request for a variance
19from any such rule or regulation within 120 days of the filing
20of the petition, the Petitioner shall be entitled to an
21Appellate Court order pursuant to Section 41(d) of this Act.
22    (d) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Section,
23water quality standards variances shall be governed solely by
24Section 38.5 of this Act.
25(Source: P.A. 87-914.)
 

 

 

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1    (415 ILCS 5/38.5 new)
2    Sec. 38.5. Water quality standards variances.
3    (a) The Board may adopt water quality standards variances
4not only beyond any limitation otherwise prescribed in this Act
5or rules adopted under this Act, but also to the full extent
6allowed under federal law, including the Federal Water
7Pollution Control Act, as amended, and rules adopted by the
8United States Environmental Protection Agency under that Act. A
9water quality standards variance may be adopted under this
10Section for a watershed or for one or more bodies of water,
11body of water segments, or dischargers. This Section shall
12apply to all petitions for water quality standards variances,
13even if filed prior to the effective date of this amendatory
14Act of the 99th General Assembly. Any stay granted under
15Section 38 of this Act shall continue pending disposition of
16that petition under this Section.
17    (b) Not later than 6 months after the effective date of
18this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, the Agency
19shall propose, and not later than 6 months thereafter the Board
20shall adopt, rules that prescribe the specific procedures and
21standards to be used by the Board when adopting water quality
22standards variances. Nothing shall prohibit the Board from
23adopting water quality standards variances to the full extent
24allowed under federal law in the absence of these rules.
25    (c) Each Board-approved water quality standards variance
26other than an individual water quality standards variance shall

 

 

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1set forth criteria that shall be used by the Agency to approve
2or deny petitions for coverage under that water quality
3standards variance. Any discharger may petition the Agency to
4obtain coverage under any Board-approved water quality
5standards variance other than an individual water quality
6standards variance; the Agency shall use the Board-established
7criteria to approve or deny coverage under that variance.
8    (d) For petitions for water quality standards variances
9filed on or after the effective date of the rules adopted
10pursuant subsection (b) of this Section, the rules adopted
11pursuant to subsection (b) shall provide the exclusive
12procedural and substantive requirements for obtaining a water
13quality standards variance under this Act.
14    (e) Any person filing a petition for a water quality
15standards variance under this Section shall pay a filing fee to
16the Board in the amount required for a petition for variance
17under Section 7.5 of this Act.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.".