Bill Text: IL SB0009 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Requires a permit for persons conducting any waste-storage, waste-treatment, or waste-disposal operation on CCR surface impoundments. Prohibits persons from performing any specified actions that may cause or tend to cause a violation of the Act. Requires the owner of a CCR surface impoundment to submit to the Agency for approval a closure alternatives analysis. Exempts owners or operators of CCR surface impoundments that have completed closure in accordance with a plan approved by the Agency prior to 12 months after the amendatory Act's effective date from obtaining a construction permit for the surface impoundment closure. Provides that the owner of a CCR surface impoundment shall post all closure plans, permit applications, and supporting documentation, and any Agency approval of the plans or applications on its publicly available website. Requires the owner or operator of a CCR surface impoundment to pay the following fees: an initial fee of $50,000 for closed CCR surface impoundments or $75,000 for CCR surface impoundments that have not completed closure; and annual fees of 25,000 for each CCR surface impoundment that has not completed closure or $15,000 for each CCR surface impoundment that has completed closure but has not completed post-closure care. Requires any monies forfeited to the State from any performance bond or other security required under the amendatory Act's provisions to be placed in the Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundment Financial Assurance Fund. Allows the Agency to issue RCRA permits exclusively to persons owning or operating a CCR surface impoundment. Requires a permit applicant to 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 where CCR from the CCR surface impoundment will be permanently disposed. Makes other changes. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundment Financial Assurance Fund. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 43-3)

Status: (Passed) 2019-07-30 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 101-0171 [SB0009 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB0009-Chaptered.html



Public Act 101-0171
SB0009 EnrolledLRB101 06168 JWD 51190 b
AN ACT concerning coal ash.
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 3.140, 21, 39, and 40 and by adding Sections
3.142, 3.143, and 22.59 as follows:
(415 ILCS 5/3.140) (was 415 ILCS 5/3.76)
Sec. 3.140. Coal combustion waste. "Coal combustion waste"
means any CCR or any fly ash, bottom ash, slag, or flue gas or
fluid bed boiler desulfurization by-products generated as a
result of the combustion of:
(1) coal, or
(2) coal in combination with: (i) fuel grade petroleum
coke, (ii) other fossil fuel, or (iii) both fuel grade
petroleum coke and other fossil fuel, or
(3) coal (with or without: (i) fuel grade petroleum coke,
(ii) other fossil fuel, or (iii) both fuel grade petroleum coke
and other fossil fuel) in combination with no more than 20% of
tire derived fuel or wood or other materials by weight of the
materials combusted; provided that the coal is burned with
other materials, the Agency has made a written determination
that the storage or disposal of the resultant wastes in
accordance with the provisions of item (r) of Section 21 would
result in no environmental impact greater than that of wastes
generated as a result of the combustion of coal alone, and the
storage disposal of the resultant wastes would not violate
applicable federal law.
(Source: P.A. 92-574, eff. 6-26-02.)
(415 ILCS 5/3.142 new)
Sec. 3.142. Coal combustion residual; CCR. "Coal
combustion residual" or "CCR" means fly ash, bottom ash, boiler
slag, and flue gas desulfurization materials generated from
burning coal for the purpose of generating electricity by
electric utilities and independent power producers.
(415 ILCS 5/3.143 new)
Sec. 3.143. CCR surface impoundment. "CCR surface
impoundment" means a natural topographic depression, man-made
excavation, or diked area, which is designed to hold an
accumulation of CCR and liquids, and the unit treats, stores,
or disposes of CCR.
(415 ILCS 5/21) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1021)
Sec. 21. Prohibited acts. No person shall:
(a) Cause or allow the open dumping of any waste.
(b) Abandon, dump, or deposit any waste upon the public
highways or other public property, except in a sanitary
landfill approved by the Agency pursuant to regulations adopted
by the Board.
(c) Abandon any vehicle in violation of the "Abandoned
Vehicles Amendment to the Illinois Vehicle Code", as enacted by
the 76th General Assembly.
(d) Conduct any waste-storage, waste-treatment, or
waste-disposal operation:
(1) without a permit granted by the Agency or in
violation of any conditions imposed by such permit,
including periodic reports and full access to adequate
records and the inspection of facilities, as may be
necessary to assure compliance with this Act and with
regulations and standards adopted thereunder; provided,
however, that, except for municipal solid waste landfill
units that receive waste on or after October 9, 1993, and
CCR surface impoundments, no permit shall be required for
(i) any person conducting a waste-storage,
waste-treatment, or waste-disposal operation for wastes
generated by such person's own activities which are stored,
treated, or disposed within the site where such wastes are
generated, or (ii) a facility located in a county with a
population over 700,000 as of January 1, 2000, operated and
located in accordance with Section 22.38 of this Act, and
used exclusively for the transfer, storage, or treatment of
general construction or demolition debris, provided that
the facility was receiving construction or demolition
debris on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
96th General Assembly;
(2) in violation of any regulations or standards
adopted by the Board under this Act; or
(3) which receives waste after August 31, 1988, does
not have a permit issued by the Agency, and is (i) a
landfill used exclusively for the disposal of waste
generated at the site, (ii) a surface impoundment receiving
special waste not listed in an NPDES permit, (iii) a waste
pile in which the total volume of waste is greater than 100
cubic yards or the waste is stored for over one year, or
(iv) a land treatment facility receiving special waste
generated at the site; without giving notice of the
operation to the Agency by January 1, 1989, or 30 days
after the date on which the operation commences, whichever
is later, and every 3 years thereafter. The form for such
notification shall be specified by the Agency, and shall be
limited to information regarding: the name and address of
the location of the operation; the type of operation; the
types and amounts of waste stored, treated or disposed of
on an annual basis; the remaining capacity of the
operation; and the remaining expected life of the
operation.
Item (3) of this subsection (d) shall not apply to any
person engaged in agricultural activity who is disposing of a
substance that constitutes solid waste, if the substance was
acquired for use by that person on his own property, and the
substance is disposed of on his own property in accordance with
regulations or standards adopted by the Board.
This subsection (d) shall not apply to hazardous waste.
(e) Dispose, treat, store or abandon any waste, or
transport any waste into this State for disposal, treatment,
storage or abandonment, except at a site or facility which
meets the requirements of this Act and of regulations and
standards thereunder.
(f) Conduct any hazardous waste-storage, hazardous
waste-treatment or hazardous waste-disposal operation:
(1) without a RCRA permit for the site issued by the
Agency under subsection (d) of Section 39 of this Act, or
in violation of any condition imposed by such permit,
including periodic reports and full access to adequate
records and the inspection of facilities, as may be
necessary to assure compliance with this Act and with
regulations and standards adopted thereunder; or
(2) in violation of any regulations or standards
adopted by the Board under this Act; or
(3) in violation of any RCRA permit filing requirement
established under standards adopted by the Board under this
Act; or
(4) in violation of any order adopted by the Board
under this Act.
Notwithstanding the above, no RCRA permit shall be required
under this subsection or subsection (d) of Section 39 of this
Act for any person engaged in agricultural activity who is
disposing of a substance which has been identified as a
hazardous waste, and which has been designated by Board
regulations as being subject to this exception, if the
substance was acquired for use by that person on his own
property and the substance is disposed of on his own property
in accordance with regulations or standards adopted by the
Board.
(g) Conduct any hazardous waste-transportation operation:
(1) without registering with and obtaining a special
waste hauling permit from the Agency in accordance with the
regulations adopted by the Board under this Act; or
(2) in violation of any regulations or standards
adopted by the Board under this Act.
(h) Conduct any hazardous waste-recycling or hazardous
waste-reclamation or hazardous waste-reuse operation in
violation of any regulations, standards or permit requirements
adopted by the Board under this Act.
(i) Conduct any process or engage in any act which produces
hazardous waste in violation of any regulations or standards
adopted by the Board under subsections (a) and (c) of Section
22.4 of this Act.
(j) Conduct any special waste transportation operation in
violation of any regulations, standards or permit requirements
adopted by the Board under this Act. However, sludge from a
water or sewage treatment plant owned and operated by a unit of
local government which (1) is subject to a sludge management
plan approved by the Agency or a permit granted by the Agency,
and (2) has been tested and determined not to be a hazardous
waste as required by applicable State and federal laws and
regulations, may be transported in this State without a special
waste hauling permit, and the preparation and carrying of a
manifest shall not be required for such sludge under the rules
of the Pollution Control Board. The unit of local government
which operates the treatment plant producing such sludge shall
file an annual report with the Agency identifying the volume of
such sludge transported during the reporting period, the hauler
of the sludge, and the disposal sites to which it was
transported. This subsection (j) shall not apply to hazardous
waste.
(k) Fail or refuse to pay any fee imposed under this Act.
(l) Locate a hazardous waste disposal site above an active
or inactive shaft or tunneled mine or within 2 miles of an
active fault in the earth's crust. In counties of population
less than 225,000 no hazardous waste disposal site shall be
located (1) within 1 1/2 miles of the corporate limits as
defined on June 30, 1978, of any municipality without the
approval of the governing body of the municipality in an
official action; or (2) within 1000 feet of an existing private
well or the existing source of a public water supply measured
from the boundary of the actual active permitted site and
excluding existing private wells on the property of the permit
applicant. The provisions of this subsection do not apply to
publicly-owned sewage works or the disposal or utilization of
sludge from publicly-owned sewage works.
(m) Transfer interest in any land which has been used as a
hazardous waste disposal site without written notification to
the Agency of the transfer and to the transferee of the
conditions imposed by the Agency upon its use under subsection
(g) of Section 39.
(n) Use any land which has been used as a hazardous waste
disposal site except in compliance with conditions imposed by
the Agency under subsection (g) of Section 39.
(o) Conduct a sanitary landfill operation which is required
to have a permit under subsection (d) of this Section, in a
manner which results in any of the following conditions:
(1) refuse in standing or flowing waters;
(2) leachate flows entering waters of the State;
(3) leachate flows exiting the landfill confines (as
determined by the boundaries established for the landfill
by a permit issued by the Agency);
(4) open burning of refuse in violation of Section 9 of
this Act;
(5) uncovered refuse remaining from any previous
operating day or at the conclusion of any operating day,
unless authorized by permit;
(6) failure to provide final cover within time limits
established by Board regulations;
(7) acceptance of wastes without necessary permits;
(8) scavenging as defined by Board regulations;
(9) deposition of refuse in any unpermitted portion of
the landfill;
(10) acceptance of a special waste without a required
manifest;
(11) failure to submit reports required by permits or
Board regulations;
(12) failure to collect and contain litter from the
site by the end of each operating day;
(13) failure to submit any cost estimate for the site
or any performance bond or other security for the site as
required by this Act or Board rules.
The prohibitions specified in this subsection (o) shall be
enforceable by the Agency either by administrative citation
under Section 31.1 of this Act or as otherwise provided by this
Act. The specific prohibitions in this subsection do not limit
the power of the Board to establish regulations or standards
applicable to sanitary landfills.
(p) In violation of subdivision (a) of this Section, cause
or allow the open dumping of any waste in a manner which
results in any of the following occurrences at the dump site:
(1) litter;
(2) scavenging;
(3) open burning;
(4) deposition of waste in standing or flowing waters;
(5) proliferation of disease vectors;
(6) standing or flowing liquid discharge from the dump
site;
(7) deposition of:
(i) general construction or demolition debris as
defined in Section 3.160(a) of this Act; or
(ii) clean construction or demolition debris as
defined in Section 3.160(b) of this Act.
The prohibitions specified in this subsection (p) shall be
enforceable by the Agency either by administrative citation
under Section 31.1 of this Act or as otherwise provided by this
Act. The specific prohibitions in this subsection do not limit
the power of the Board to establish regulations or standards
applicable to open dumping.
(q) Conduct a landscape waste composting operation without
an Agency permit, provided, however, that no permit shall be
required for any person:
(1) conducting a landscape waste composting operation
for landscape wastes generated by such person's own
activities which are stored, treated, or disposed of within
the site where such wastes are generated; or
(1.5) conducting a landscape waste composting
operation that (i) has no more than 25 cubic yards of
landscape waste, composting additives, composting
material, or end-product compost on-site at any one time
and (ii) is not engaging in commercial activity; or
(2) applying landscape waste or composted landscape
waste at agronomic rates; or
(2.5) operating a landscape waste composting facility
at a site having 10 or more occupied non-farm residences
within 1/2 mile of its boundaries, if the facility meets
all of the following criteria:
(A) the composting facility is operated by the
farmer on property on which the composting material is
utilized, and the composting facility constitutes no
more than 2% of the site's total acreage;
(A-5) any composting additives that the composting
facility accepts and uses at the facility are necessary
to provide proper conditions for composting and do not
exceed 10% of the total composting material at the
facility at any one time;
(B) the property on which the composting facility
is located, and any associated property on which the
compost is used, is principally and diligently devoted
to the production of agricultural crops and is not
owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by any waste
hauler or generator of nonagricultural compost
materials, and the operator of the composting facility
is not an employee, partner, shareholder, or in any way
connected with or controlled by any such waste hauler
or generator;
(C) all compost generated by the composting
facility is applied at agronomic rates and used as
mulch, fertilizer, or soil conditioner on land
actually farmed by the person operating the composting
facility, and the finished compost is not stored at the
composting site for a period longer than 18 months
prior to its application as mulch, fertilizer, or soil
conditioner;
(D) no fee is charged for the acceptance of
materials to be composted at the facility; and
(E) the owner or operator, by January 1, 2014 (or
the January 1 following commencement of operation,
whichever is later) and January 1 of each year
thereafter, registers the site with the Agency, (ii)
reports to the Agency on the volume of composting
material received and used at the site; (iii) certifies
to the Agency that the site complies with the
requirements set forth in subparagraphs (A), (A-5),
(B), (C), and (D) of this paragraph (2.5); and (iv)
certifies to the Agency that all composting material
was placed more than 200 feet from the nearest potable
water supply well, was placed outside the boundary of
the 10-year floodplain or on a part of the site that is
floodproofed, was placed at least 1/4 mile from the
nearest residence (other than a residence located on
the same property as the facility) or a lesser distance
from the nearest residence (other than a residence
located on the same property as the facility) if the
municipality in which the facility is located has by
ordinance approved a lesser distance than 1/4 mile, and
was placed more than 5 feet above the water table; any
ordinance approving a residential setback of less than
1/4 mile that is used to meet the requirements of this
subparagraph (E) of paragraph (2.5) of this subsection
must specifically reference this paragraph; or
(3) operating a landscape waste composting facility on
a farm, if the facility meets all of the following
criteria:
(A) the composting facility is operated by the
farmer on property on which the composting material is
utilized, and the composting facility constitutes no
more than 2% of the property's total acreage, except
that the Board may allow a higher percentage for
individual sites where the owner or operator has
demonstrated to the Board that the site's soil
characteristics or crop needs require a higher rate;
(A-1) the composting facility accepts from other
agricultural operations for composting with landscape
waste no materials other than uncontaminated and
source-separated (i) crop residue and other
agricultural plant residue generated from the
production and harvesting of crops and other customary
farm practices, including, but not limited to, stalks,
leaves, seed pods, husks, bagasse, and roots and (ii)
plant-derived animal bedding, such as straw or
sawdust, that is free of manure and was not made from
painted or treated wood;
(A-2) any composting additives that the composting
facility accepts and uses at the facility are necessary
to provide proper conditions for composting and do not
exceed 10% of the total composting material at the
facility at any one time;
(B) the property on which the composting facility
is located, and any associated property on which the
compost is used, is principally and diligently devoted
to the production of agricultural crops and is not
owned, leased or otherwise controlled by any waste
hauler or generator of nonagricultural compost
materials, and the operator of the composting facility
is not an employee, partner, shareholder, or in any way
connected with or controlled by any such waste hauler
or generator;
(C) all compost generated by the composting
facility is applied at agronomic rates and used as
mulch, fertilizer or soil conditioner on land actually
farmed by the person operating the composting
facility, and the finished compost is not stored at the
composting site for a period longer than 18 months
prior to its application as mulch, fertilizer, or soil
conditioner;
(D) the owner or operator, by January 1 of each
year, (i) registers the site with the Agency, (ii)
reports to the Agency on the volume of composting
material received and used at the site, (iii) certifies
to the Agency that the site complies with the
requirements set forth in subparagraphs (A), (A-1),
(A-2), (B), and (C) of this paragraph (q)(3), and (iv)
certifies to the Agency that all composting material:
(I) was placed more than 200 feet from the
nearest potable water supply well;
(II) was placed outside the boundary of the
10-year floodplain or on a part of the site that is
floodproofed;
(III) was placed either (aa) at least 1/4 mile
from the nearest residence (other than a residence
located on the same property as the facility) and
there are not more than 10 occupied non-farm
residences within 1/2 mile of the boundaries of the
site on the date of application or (bb) a lesser
distance from the nearest residence (other than a
residence located on the same property as the
facility) provided that the municipality or county
in which the facility is located has by ordinance
approved a lesser distance than 1/4 mile and there
are not more than 10 occupied non-farm residences
within 1/2 mile of the boundaries of the site on
the date of application; and
(IV) was placed more than 5 feet above the
water table.
Any ordinance approving a residential setback of
less than 1/4 mile that is used to meet the
requirements of this subparagraph (D) must
specifically reference this subparagraph.
For the purposes of this subsection (q), "agronomic rates"
means the application of not more than 20 tons per acre per
year, except that the Board may allow a higher rate for
individual sites where the owner or operator has demonstrated
to the Board that the site's soil characteristics or crop needs
require a higher rate.
(r) Cause or allow the storage or disposal of coal
combustion waste unless:
(1) such waste is stored or disposed of at a site or
facility for which a permit has been obtained or is not
otherwise required under subsection (d) of this Section; or
(2) such waste is stored or disposed of as a part of
the design and reclamation of a site or facility which is
an abandoned mine site in accordance with the Abandoned
Mined Lands and Water Reclamation Act; or
(3) such waste is stored or disposed of at a site or
facility which is operating under NPDES and Subtitle D
permits issued by the Agency pursuant to regulations
adopted by the Board for mine-related water pollution and
permits issued pursuant to the Federal Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-87) or the
rules and regulations thereunder or any law or rule or
regulation adopted by the State of Illinois pursuant
thereto, and the owner or operator of the facility agrees
to accept the waste; and either
(i) such waste is stored or disposed of in
accordance with requirements applicable to refuse
disposal under regulations adopted by the Board for
mine-related water pollution and pursuant to NPDES and
Subtitle D permits issued by the Agency under such
regulations; or
(ii) the owner or operator of the facility
demonstrates all of the following to the Agency, and
the facility is operated in accordance with the
demonstration as approved by the Agency: (1) the
disposal area will be covered in a manner that will
support continuous vegetation, (2) the facility will
be adequately protected from wind and water erosion,
(3) the pH will be maintained so as to prevent
excessive leaching of metal ions, and (4) adequate
containment or other measures will be provided to
protect surface water and groundwater from
contamination at levels prohibited by this Act, the
Illinois Groundwater Protection Act, or regulations
adopted pursuant thereto.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title, the
disposal of coal combustion waste pursuant to item (2) or (3)
of this subdivision (r) shall be exempt from the other
provisions of this Title V, and notwithstanding the provisions
of Title X of this Act, the Agency is authorized to grant
experimental permits which include provision for the disposal
of wastes from the combustion of coal and other materials
pursuant to items (2) and (3) of this subdivision (r).
(s) After April 1, 1989, offer for transportation,
transport, deliver, receive or accept special waste for which a
manifest is required, unless the manifest indicates that the
fee required under Section 22.8 of this Act has been paid.
(t) Cause or allow a lateral expansion of a municipal solid
waste landfill unit on or after October 9, 1993, without a
permit modification, granted by the Agency, that authorizes the
lateral expansion.
(u) Conduct any vegetable by-product treatment, storage,
disposal or transportation operation in violation of any
regulation, standards or permit requirements adopted by the
Board under this Act. However, no permit shall be required
under this Title V for the land application of vegetable
by-products conducted pursuant to Agency permit issued under
Title III of this Act to the generator of the vegetable
by-products. In addition, vegetable by-products may be
transported in this State without a special waste hauling
permit, and without the preparation and carrying of a manifest.
(v) (Blank).
(w) Conduct any generation, transportation, or recycling
of construction or demolition debris, clean or general, or
uncontaminated soil generated during construction, remodeling,
repair, and demolition of utilities, structures, and roads that
is not commingled with any waste, without the maintenance of
documentation identifying the hauler, generator, place of
origin of the debris or soil, the weight or volume of the
debris or soil, and the location, owner, and operator of the
facility where the debris or soil was transferred, disposed,
recycled, or treated. This documentation must be maintained by
the generator, transporter, or recycler for 3 years. This
subsection (w) shall not apply to (1) a permitted pollution
control facility that transfers or accepts construction or
demolition debris, clean or general, or uncontaminated soil for
final disposal, recycling, or treatment, (2) a public utility
(as that term is defined in the Public Utilities Act) or a
municipal utility, (3) the Illinois Department of
Transportation, or (4) a municipality or a county highway
department, with the exception of any municipality or county
highway department located within a county having a population
of over 3,000,000 inhabitants or located in a county that is
contiguous to a county having a population of over 3,000,000
inhabitants; but it shall apply to an entity that contracts
with a public utility, a municipal utility, the Illinois
Department of Transportation, or a municipality or a county
highway department. The terms "generation" and "recycling" as
used in this subsection do not apply to clean construction or
demolition debris when (i) used as fill material below grade
outside of a setback zone if covered by sufficient
uncontaminated soil to support vegetation within 30 days of the
completion of filling or if covered by a road or structure,
(ii) solely broken concrete without protruding metal bars is
used for erosion control, or (iii) milled asphalt or crushed
concrete is used as aggregate in construction of the shoulder
of a roadway. The terms "generation" and "recycling", as used
in this subsection, do not apply to uncontaminated soil that is
not commingled with any waste when (i) used as fill material
below grade or contoured to grade, or (ii) used at the site of
generation.
(Source: P.A. 100-103, eff. 8-11-17.)
(415 ILCS 5/22.59 new)
Sec. 22.59. CCR surface impoundments.
(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) the State of Illinois has a long-standing policy to
restore, protect, and enhance the environment, including
the purity of the air, land, and waters, including
groundwaters, of this State;
(2) a clean environment is essential to the growth and
well-being of this State;
(3) CCR generated by the electric generating industry
has caused groundwater contamination and other forms of
pollution at active and inactive plants throughout this
State;
(4) environmental laws should be supplemented to
ensure consistent, responsible regulation of all existing
CCR surface impoundments; and
(5) meaningful participation of State residents,
especially vulnerable populations who may be affected by
regulatory actions, is critical to ensure that
environmental justice considerations are incorporated in
the development of, decision-making related to, and
implementation of environmental laws and rulemaking that
protects and improves the well-being of communities in this
State that bear disproportionate burdens imposed by
environmental pollution.
Therefore, the purpose of this Section is to promote a
healthful environment, including clean water, air, and land,
meaningful public involvement, and the responsible disposal
and storage of coal combustion residuals, so as to protect
public health and to prevent pollution of the environment of
this State.
The provisions of this Section shall be liberally construed
to carry out the purposes of this Section.
(b) No person shall:
(1) cause or allow the discharge of any contaminants
from a CCR surface impoundment into the environment so as
to cause, directly or indirectly, a violation of this
Section or any regulations or standards adopted by the
Board under this Section, either alone or in combination
with contaminants from other sources;
(2) construct, install, modify, operate, or close any
CCR surface impoundment without a permit granted by the
Agency, or so as to violate any conditions imposed by such
permit, any provision of this Section or any regulations or
standards adopted by the Board under this Section; or
(3) cause or allow, directly or indirectly, the
discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking,
or placing of any CCR upon the land in a place and manner
so as to cause or tend to cause a violation this Section or
any regulations or standards adopted by the Board under
this Section.
(c) For purposes of this Section, a permit issued by the
Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection
Agency under Section 4005 of the federal Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act, shall be deemed to be a permit under this
Section and subsection (y) of Section 39.
(d) Before commencing closure of a CCR surface impoundment,
in accordance with Board rules, the owner of a CCR surface
impoundment must submit to the Agency for approval a closure
alternatives analysis that analyzes all closure methods being
considered and that otherwise satisfies all closure
requirements adopted by the Board under this Act. Complete
removal of CCR, as specified by the Board's rules, from the CCR
surface impoundment must be considered and analyzed. Section
3.405 does not apply to the Board's rules specifying complete
removal of CCR. The selected closure method must ensure
compliance with regulations adopted by the Board pursuant to
this Section.
(e) Owners or operators of CCR surface impoundments who
have submitted a closure plan to the Agency before May 1, 2019,
and who have completed closure prior to 24 months after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General
Assembly shall not be required to obtain a construction permit
for the surface impoundment closure under this Section.
(f) Except for the State, its agencies and institutions, a
unit of local government, or not-for-profit electric
cooperative as defined in Section 3.4 of the Electric Supplier
Act, any person who owns or operates a CCR surface impoundment
in this State shall post with the Agency a performance bond or
other security for the purpose of: (i) ensuring closure of the
CCR surface impoundment and post-closure care in accordance
with this Act and its rules; and (ii) insuring remediation of
releases from the CCR surface impoundment. The only acceptable
forms of financial assurance are: a trust fund, a surety bond
guaranteeing payment, a surety bond guaranteeing performance,
or an irrevocable letter of credit.
(1) The cost estimate for the post-closure care of a
CCR surface impoundment shall be calculated using a 30-year
post-closure care period or such longer period as may be
approved by the Agency under Board or federal rules.
(2) The Agency is authorized to enter into such
contracts and agreements as it may deem necessary to carry
out the purposes of this Section. Neither the State, nor
the Director, nor any State employee shall be liable for
any damages or injuries arising out of or resulting from
any action taken under this Section.
(3) The Agency shall have the authority to approve or
disapprove any performance bond or other security posted
under this subsection. Any person whose performance bond or
other security is disapproved by the Agency may contest the
disapproval as a permit denial appeal pursuant to Section
40.
(g) The Board shall adopt rules establishing construction
permit requirements, operating permit requirements, design
standards, reporting, financial assurance, and closure and
post-closure care requirements for CCR surface impoundments.
Not later than 8 months after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly the Agency shall
propose, and not later than one year after receipt of the
Agency's proposal the Board shall adopt, rules under this
Section. The rules must, at a minimum:
(1) be at least as protective and comprehensive as the
federal regulations or amendments thereto promulgated by
the Administrator of the United States Environmental
Protection Agency in Subpart D of 40 CFR 257 governing CCR
surface impoundments;
(2) specify the minimum contents of CCR surface
impoundment construction and operating permit
applications, including the closure alternatives analysis
required under subsection (d);
(3) specify which types of permits include
requirements for closure, post-closure, remediation and
all other requirements applicable to CCR surface
impoundments;
(4) specify when permit applications for existing CCR
surface impoundments must be submitted, taking into
consideration whether the CCR surface impoundment must
close under the RCRA;
(5) specify standards for review and approval by the
Agency of CCR surface impoundment permit applications;
(6) specify meaningful public participation procedures
for the issuance of CCR surface impoundment construction
and operating permits, including, but not limited to,
public notice of the submission of permit applications, an
opportunity for the submission of public comments, an
opportunity for a public hearing prior to permit issuance,
and a summary and response of the comments prepared by the
Agency;
(7) prescribe the type and amount of the performance
bonds or other securities required under subsection (f),
and the conditions under which the State is entitled to
collect moneys from such performance bonds or other
securities;
(8) specify a procedure to identify areas of
environmental justice concern in relation to CCR surface
impoundments;
(9) specify a method to prioritize CCR surface
impoundments required to close under RCRA if not otherwise
specified by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency, so that the CCR surface impoundments with the
highest risk to public health and the environment, and
areas of environmental justice concern are given first
priority;
(10) define when complete removal of CCR is achieved
and specify the standards for responsible removal of CCR
from CCR surface impoundments, including, but not limited
to, dust controls and the protection of adjacent surface
water and groundwater; and
(11) describe the process and standards for
identifying a specific alternative source of groundwater
pollution when the owner or operator of the CCR surface
impoundment believes that groundwater contamination on the
site is not from the CCR surface impoundment.
(h) Any owner of a CCR surface impoundment that generates
CCR and sells or otherwise provides coal combustion byproducts
pursuant to Section 3.135 shall, every 12 months, post on its
publicly available website a report specifying the volume or
weight of CCR, in cubic yards or tons, that it sold or provided
during the past 12 months.
(i) The owner of a CCR surface impoundment shall post all
closure plans, permit applications, and supporting
documentation, as well as any Agency approval of the plans or
applications on its publicly available website.
(j) The owner or operator of a CCR surface impoundment
shall pay the following fees:
(1) An initial fee to the Agency within 6 months after
the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st
General Assembly of:
$50,000 for each closed CCR surface impoundment;
and
$75,000 for each CCR surface impoundment that have
not completed closure.
(2) Annual fees to the Agency, beginning on July 1,
2020, of:
$25,000 for each CCR surface impoundment that has
not completed closure; and
$15,000 for each CCR surface impoundment that has
completed closure, but has not completed post-closure
care.
(k) All fees collected by the Agency under subsection (j)
shall be deposited into the Environmental Protection Permit and
Inspection Fund.
(l) The Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundment
Financial Assurance Fund is created as a special fund in the
State treasury. Any moneys forfeited to the State of Illinois
from any performance bond or other security required under this
Section shall be placed in the Coal Combustion Residual Surface
Impoundment Financial Assurance Fund and shall, upon approval
by the Governor and the Director, be used by the Agency for the
purposes for which such performance bond or other security was
issued. The Coal Combustion Residual Surface Impoundment
Financial Assurance Fund is not subject to the provisions of
subsection (c) of Section 5 of the State Finance Act.
(m) The provisions of this Section shall apply, without
limitation, to all existing CCR surface impoundments and any
CCR surface impoundments constructed after the effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, except to
the extent prohibited by the Illinois or United States
Constitutions.
(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,
or to CCR surface impoundment applications under subsection (y)
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.
(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.
(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. Subsection (y) of this Section, rather
than this subsection (d), shall apply to permits issued for CCR
surface impoundments.
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 adopt requirements as necessary to
implement public participation procedures, including, but
not limited to, public notice, comment, and an opportunity
for hearing, which must accompany the processing of
applications for PSD permits. The Agency shall briefly
describe and respond to all significant comments on the
draft permit raised during the public comment period or
during any hearing. The Agency may group related comments
together and provide one unified response for each issue
raised.
(3) Any complete permit application submitted to the
Agency under this subsection for a PSD permit shall be
granted or denied by the Agency not later than one year
after the filing of such completed application.
(4) 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.
(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, any permit or interim
authorization for a clean construction or demolition debris
fill operation, or any permit required under subsection (d-5)
of Section 55, the Agency shall conduct an evaluation of the
prospective owner's or operator's prior experience in waste
management operations, clean construction or demolition debris
fill operations, and tire storage site management. 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, clean
construction or demolition debris fill operation
facilities or sites, or tire storage 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, clean construction or demolition debris, or used
or waste tires, 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.
(q) Within 6 months after July 12, 2011 (the effective date
of Public Act 97-95), the Agency, in consultation with the
regulated community, shall develop a web portal to be posted on
its website for the purpose of enhancing review and promoting
timely issuance of permits required by this Act. At a minimum,
the Agency shall make the following information available on
the web portal:
(1) Checklists and guidance relating to the completion
of permit applications, developed pursuant to subsection
(s) of this Section, which may include, but are not limited
to, existing instructions for completing the applications
and examples of complete applications. As the Agency
develops new checklists and develops guidance, it shall
supplement the web portal with those materials.
(2) Within 2 years after July 12, 2011 (the effective
date of Public Act 97-95), permit application forms or
portions of permit applications that can be completed and
saved electronically, and submitted to the Agency
electronically with digital signatures.
(3) Within 2 years after July 12, 2011 (the effective
date of Public Act 97-95), an online tracking system where
an applicant may review the status of its pending
application, including the name and contact information of
the permit analyst assigned to the application. Until the
online tracking system has been developed, the Agency shall
post on its website semi-annual permitting efficiency
tracking reports that include statistics on the timeframes
for Agency action on the following types of permits
received after July 12, 2011 (the effective date of Public
Act 97-95): air construction permits, new NPDES permits and
associated water construction permits, and modifications
of major NPDES permits and associated water construction
permits. The reports must be posted by February 1 and
August 1 each year and shall include:
(A) the number of applications received for each
type of permit, the number of applications on which the
Agency has taken action, and the number of applications
still pending; and
(B) for those applications where the Agency has not
taken action in accordance with the timeframes set
forth in this Act, the date the application was
received and the reasons for any delays, which may
include, but shall not be limited to, (i) the
application being inadequate or incomplete, (ii)
scientific or technical disagreements with the
applicant, USEPA, or other local, state, or federal
agencies involved in the permitting approval process,
(iii) public opposition to the permit, or (iv) Agency
staffing shortages. To the extent practicable, the
tracking report shall provide approximate dates when
cause for delay was identified by the Agency, when the
Agency informed the applicant of the problem leading to
the delay, and when the applicant remedied the reason
for the delay.
(r) Upon the request of the applicant, the Agency shall
notify the applicant of the permit analyst assigned to the
application upon its receipt.
(s) The Agency is authorized to prepare and distribute
guidance documents relating to its administration of this
Section and procedural rules implementing this Section.
Guidance documents prepared under this subsection shall not be
considered rules and shall not be subject to the Illinois
Administrative Procedure Act. Such guidance shall not be
binding on any party.
(t) Except as otherwise prohibited by federal law or
regulation, any person submitting an application for a permit
may include with the application suggested permit language for
Agency consideration. The Agency is not obligated to use the
suggested language or any portion thereof in its permitting
decision. If requested by the permit applicant, the Agency
shall meet with the applicant to discuss the suggested
language.
(u) If requested by the permit applicant, the Agency shall
provide the permit applicant with a copy of the draft permit
prior to any public review period.
(v) If requested by the permit applicant, the Agency shall
provide the permit applicant with a copy of the final permit
prior to its issuance.
(w) An air pollution permit shall not be required due to
emissions of greenhouse gases, as specified by Section 9.15 of
this Act.
(x) If, before the expiration of a State operating permit
that is issued pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section and
contains federally enforceable conditions limiting the
potential to emit of the source to a level below the major
source threshold for that source so as to exclude the source
from the Clean Air Act Permit Program, the Agency receives a
complete application for the renewal of that permit, then all
of the terms and conditions of the permit shall remain in
effect until final administrative action has been taken on the
application for the renewal of the permit.
(y) The Agency may issue permits exclusively under this
subsection to persons owning or operating a CCR surface
impoundment subject to Section 22.59.
All CCR surface impoundment 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, Board regulations, the Illinois
Groundwater Protection Act and regulations pursuant thereto,
and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and regulations
pursuant thereto, and may include schedules for achieving
compliance therewith as soon as possible.
The Board shall adopt filing requirements and procedures
that are necessary and appropriate for the issuance of CCR
surface impoundment permits and that are consistent with this
Act or regulations adopted by the Board, and with the RCRA, 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, on its public internet website as well as at the
office of the county board or governing body of the
municipality where CCR from the CCR surface impoundment will be
permanently disposed. 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.
(Source: P.A. 98-284, eff. 8-9-13; 99-396, eff. 8-18-15;
99-463, eff. 1-1-16; 99-642, eff. 7-28-16.)
(415 ILCS 5/40) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1040)
Sec. 40. Appeal of permit denial.
(a)(1) If the Agency refuses to grant or grants with
conditions a permit under Section 39 of this Act, the applicant
may, within 35 days after the date on which the Agency served
its decision on the applicant, petition for a hearing before
the Board to contest the decision of the Agency. However, the
35-day period for petitioning for a hearing may be extended for
an additional period of time not to exceed 90 days by written
notice provided to the Board from the applicant and the Agency
within the initial appeal period. The Board shall give 21 days'
notice to any person in the county where is located the
facility in issue who has requested notice of enforcement
proceedings and to each member of the General Assembly in whose
legislative district that installation or property is located;
and shall publish that 21-day notice in a newspaper of general
circulation in that county. The Agency shall appear as
respondent in such hearing. At such hearing the rules
prescribed in Section 32 and subsection (a) of Section 33 of
this Act shall apply, and the burden of proof shall be on the
petitioner. If, however, the Agency issues an NPDES permit that
imposes limits which are based upon a criterion or denies a
permit based upon application of a criterion, then the Agency
shall have the burden of going forward with the basis for the
derivation of those limits or criterion which were derived
under the Board's rules.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (a)(3), if there is no
final action by the Board within 120 days after the date on
which it received the petition, the petitioner may deem the
permit issued under this Act, provided, however, that that
period of 120 days shall not run for any period of time, not to
exceed 30 days, during which the Board is without sufficient
membership to constitute the quorum required by subsection (a)
of Section 5 of this Act, and provided further that such 120
day period shall not be stayed for lack of quorum beyond 30
days regardless of whether the lack of quorum exists at the
beginning of such 120-day period or occurs during the running
of such 120-day period.
(3) Paragraph (a)(2) shall not apply to any permit which is
subject to subsection (b), (d) or (e) of Section 39. If there
is no final action by the Board within 120 days after the date
on which it received the petition, the petitioner shall be
entitled to an Appellate Court order pursuant to subsection (d)
of Section 41 of this Act.
(b) If the Agency grants a RCRA permit for a hazardous
waste disposal site, a third party, other than the permit
applicant or Agency, may, within 35 days after the date on
which the Agency issued its decision, petition the Board for a
hearing to contest the issuance of the permit. Unless the Board
determines that such petition is duplicative or frivolous, or
that the petitioner is so located as to not be affected by the
permitted facility, the Board shall hear the petition in
accordance with the terms of subsection (a) of this Section and
its procedural rules governing denial appeals, such hearing to
be based exclusively on the record before the Agency. The
burden of proof shall be on the petitioner. The Agency and the
permit applicant shall be named co-respondents.
The provisions of this subsection do not apply to the
granting of permits issued for the disposal or utilization of
sludge from publicly-owned sewage works.
(c) Any party to an Agency proceeding conducted pursuant to
Section 39.3 of this Act may petition as of right to the Board
for review of the Agency's decision within 35 days from the
date of issuance of the Agency's decision, provided that such
appeal is not duplicative or frivolous. However, the 35-day
period for petitioning for a hearing may be extended by the
applicant for a period of time not to exceed 90 days by written
notice provided to the Board from the applicant and the Agency
within the initial appeal period. If another person with
standing to appeal wishes to obtain an extension, there must be
a written notice provided to the Board by that person, the
Agency, and the applicant, within the initial appeal period.
The decision of the Board shall be based exclusively on the
record compiled in the Agency proceeding. In other respects the
Board's review shall be conducted in accordance with subsection
(a) of this Section and the Board's procedural rules governing
permit denial appeals.
(d) In reviewing the denial or any condition of a NA NSR
permit issued by the Agency pursuant to rules and regulations
adopted under subsection (c) of Section 9.1 of this Act, the
decision of the Board shall be based exclusively on the record
before the Agency including the record of the hearing, if any,
unless the parties agree to supplement the record. The Board
shall, if it finds the Agency is in error, make a final
determination as to the substantive limitations of the permit
including a final determination of Lowest Achievable Emission
Rate.
(e)(1) If the Agency grants or denies a permit under
subsection (b) of Section 39 of this Act, a third party, other
than the permit applicant or Agency, may petition the Board
within 35 days from the date of issuance of the Agency's
decision, for a hearing to contest the decision of the Agency.
(2) A petitioner shall include the following within a
petition submitted under subdivision (1) of this subsection:
(A) a demonstration that the petitioner raised the
issues contained within the petition during the public
notice period or during the public hearing on the NPDES
permit application, if a public hearing was held; and
(B) a demonstration that the petitioner is so situated
as to be affected by the permitted facility.
(3) If the Board determines that the petition is not
duplicative or frivolous and contains a satisfactory
demonstration under subdivision (2) of this subsection, the
Board shall hear the petition (i) in accordance with the terms
of subsection (a) of this Section and its procedural rules
governing permit denial appeals and (ii) exclusively on the
basis of the record before the Agency. The burden of proof
shall be on the petitioner. The Agency and permit applicant
shall be named co-respondents.
(f) Any person who files a petition to contest the issuance
of a permit by the Agency shall pay a filing fee.
(g) If the Agency grants or denies a permit under
subsection (y) of Section 39, a third party, other than the
permit applicant or Agency, may appeal the Agency's decision as
provided under federal law for CCR surface impoundment permits.
(Source: P.A. 99-463, eff. 1-1-16; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)
Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.891 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.891 new)
Sec. 5.891. The Coal Combustion Residual Surface
Impoundment Financial Assurance Fund.
Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are
severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.
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