AB 2606: Hazardous waste: facilities: permits: renewals.

Existing law, as part of the hazardous waste control law, requires a facility handling hazardous waste to apply for and obtain a hazardous waste facilities permit from the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Existing law requires that a hazardous waste facilities permit be for a fixed term not to exceed 10 years for certain facilities. Existing law requires the owner or operator of a facility intending to extend the facilitys permit to submit a complete Part A application for a permit renewal before the fixed term of the permit expires and, at any time following the submittal of the Part A application, to submit a complete Part B application, or any portion of that application, and other relevant information, if requested by the department. Existing law requires a person who applies for, or requests, a renewal of an existing hazardous waste facilities permit to enter into a written agreement with the department pursuant to which that person is required to reimburse the department for the costs incurred by the department in processing the renewal application.

This bill would require the department to process a hazardous waste facilities permit renewal application in an expedited manner, as provided, if the department determines that certain conditions are met, including that operations at the hazardous waste facility have not changed significantly since the approval of the permit in effect at the time the renewal application is submitted. The bill would require the department to cease processing a hazardous waste facilities application in an expedited manner if the hazardous waste facility no longer meets one or more of the specified conditions. The bill would authorize the department to exempt a hazardous waste facility from a requirement to provide certain information for purposes of the permit renewal if the department determines that review of the information is not necessary given that the hazardous waste facility meets the conditions for expedited permit renewal. The bill would provide that the expedited permit renewal process is not available for land disposal facilities. The bill would impose a maximum on the amount of reimbursement to the department for the costs incurred by the department in processing a hazardous waste facilities permit renewal application through the expedited permit renewal process added by this bill in the amount of $200,000 for large storage facilities and large treatment facilities or $100,000 for all other hazardous waste facilities. The bill would authorize the Director of Toxic Substances Control to raise those maximum reimbursement amounts if specified conditions are met. The bill also would repeal certain legislative findings and declarations relating to a 2016 act that affected charges for hazardous waste facilities permit applications.