HB-4688, As Passed House, April 29, 2004

SUBSTITUTE FOR

HOUSE BILL NO. 4688

                                                                             A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled                                             

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"                       

by amending sections 11526a and 11538 (MCL 324.11526a and                   

324.11538), section 11526a as added by 2004 PA 40, and section              

11538 as amended by 2004 PA 44.                                             

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 11526a.   (1)  Beginning October 1, 2004, in order to                  

2   protect the public health, safety, and welfare and the                      

3   environment of this state from the improper disposal of waste               

4   that is prohibited from disposal in a landfill, and in                      

5   recognition that the nature of solid waste collection and                   

6   transport limits the ability of the state to conduct cost                   

7   effective inspections to ensure compliance with state law, the              

8   owner or operator of a landfill shall not accept for disposal in            

9   this state solid waste, including, but not limited to, municipal            

1   solid waste incinerator ash, that was generated outside of this             

2   state unless 1 or more of the following requirements are met:               

3       (a) The solid waste is composed of a uniform type of item,                  

4   material, or substance, other than municipal solid waste                    

5   incinerator ash, that meets the requirements for disposal in a              

6   landfill under this part and the rules promulgated under this               

7   part.                                                                       

8       (b) The solid waste was received through a material recovery                

9   facility, a transfer station, or other facility that has                    

10  documented that it has removed from the solid waste being                   

11  delivered to the landfill those items that are prohibited from              

12  disposal in a landfill.                                                     

13      (c) The country, state, province, or local jurisdiction in                  

14  which the solid waste was generated is approved by the department           

15  for inclusion on the list compiled by the department under                  

16  section 11526b.                                                             

17  (2) Notwithstanding section 11538 or any other provision of                 

18  this part, if there is sufficient disposal capacity for a                   

19  county's disposal needs in or within 150 miles of the county, all           

20  of the following apply:                                                     

21      (a) The county is not required to identify a site for a new                 

22  landfill in its solid waste management plan.                                

23      (b) An interim siting mechanism shall not become operative in               

24  the county unless the county board of commissioners determines              

25  otherwise.                                                                  

26      (c) The department is not required to issue a construction                  

27  permit for a new landfill in the county.

1       Sec. 11538.  (1)  Not later than September 11, 1979, the

2   The director shall promulgate rules for the development, form,              

3   and submission of initial solid waste management plans.  The                

4   rules shall require all of the following:                                   

5       (a) The establishment of goals and objectives for prevention                

6   of adverse effects on the public health and on the environment              

7   resulting from improper solid waste collection, processing, or              

8   disposal including protection of surface and groundwater quality,           

9   air quality, and the land.                                                  

10      (b) An evaluation of waste problems by type and volume,                     

11  including residential and commercial solid waste, hazardous                 

12  waste, industrial sludges, pretreatment residues, municipal                 

13  sewage sludge, air pollution control residue, and other wastes              

14  from industrial or municipal sources.                                       

15      (c) An evaluation and selection of technically and                          

16  economically feasible solid waste management options, which may             

17  include  sanitary  landfill, resource recovery systems, resource            

18  conservation, or a combination of options.                                  

19      (d) An inventory and description of all existing facilities                 

20  where solid waste is being treated, processed, or disposed of,              

21  including a summary of the deficiencies, if any, of the                     

22  facilities in meeting current solid waste management needs.                 

23      (e) The encouragement and documentation as part of the solid                

24  waste management plan, of all opportunities for participation and           

25  involvement of the public, all affected agencies and parties, and           

26  the private sector.                                                         

27      (f) That the solid waste management plan contain enforceable                

1   mechanisms for implementing the plan, including identification of           

2   the municipalities within the county responsible for the                    

3   enforcement and may contain a mechanism for the county and those            

4   municipalities to assist the department and the state police in             

5   implementing and conducting the inspection program established in           

6   section 11526(2) and (3).  This subdivision does not preclude the           

7   private sector's participation in providing solid waste                     

8   management services consistent with the solid waste management              

9   plan for the county.                                                        

10      (g) Current and projected population densities of each county               

11  and identification of population centers and centers of solid               

12  waste generation, including industrial wastes.                              

13      (h) That the solid waste management plan area has, and will                 

14  have during the plan period, access to a sufficient amount of               

15  available and suitable land, accessible to transportation media,            

16  to accommodate the development and operation of solid waste                 

17  disposal areas, or resource recovery facilities provided for in             

18  the plan.                                                                   

19      (i) That the solid waste disposal areas or resource recovery                

20  facilities provided for in the solid waste management plan are              

21  capable of being developed and operated in compliance with state            

22  law and rules of the department pertaining to protection of the             

23  public health and the environment, considering the available land           

24  in the plan area, and the technical feasibility of, and economic            

25  costs associated with, the facilities.                                      

26      (j) A timetable or schedule for implementing the solid waste                

27  management plan.                                                            

1       (2) Each solid waste management plan shall identify specific                

2   sites for solid waste disposal areas for a 5-year period after              

3   approval of a plan or plan update.  In calculating disposal need            

4   requirements to measure compliance with this section, only those            

5   existing waste stream volume reduction levels achieved through              

6   source reduction, reuse, composting, recycling, or incineration,            

7   or any combination of these reduction devices, that can currently           

8   be demonstrated or that can be reasonably expected to be achieved           

9   through currently active implementation efforts for proposed                

10  volume reduction projects, may be assumed by the planning                   

11  entity.  In addition, if the solid waste management plan does not           

12  also identify specific sites for solid waste disposal areas for             

13  the remaining portion of the entire planning period required by             

14  this part after approval of a plan or plan update, the solid                

15  waste management plan shall include an interim siting mechanism             

16  and an annual certification process as described in subsections             

17  (3) and (4) (4) and (5).  In calculating the capacity of                  

18  identified disposal areas to determine if disposal needs are met            

19  for the entire required planning period, full achievement of the            

20  solid waste management plan's volume reduction goals may be                 

21  assumed by the planning entity if the plan identifies a detailed            

22  programmatic approach to achieving these goals.  If a siting                

23  mechanism is not included, and disposal capacity falls to less              

24  than 5 years of capacity, a county shall amend the solid waste              

25  management plan for that county to resolve the shortfall.                   

26  (3) Notwithstanding subsection (2) or any other provision of                

27  this part, if there is sufficient disposal capacity for a                   

1   county's disposal needs in or within 160 miles of the county, all           

2   of the following apply:                                                     

3       (a) The county is not required to identify a site for a new                 

4   landfill in its solid waste management plan.                                

5   (b) An interim siting mechanism shall not become operative in               

6   the county unless the county board of commissioners determines              

7   otherwise.                                                                  

8       (c) The department is not required to issue a construction                  

9   permit for a new landfill in the county.

10  (4)  (3)  An interim siting mechanism shall include both a                  

11  process and a set of minimum siting criteria, both of which are             

12  not subject to interpretation or discretionary acts by the                  

13  planning entity, and which if met by an applicant submitting a              

14  disposal area proposal, will guarantee a finding of consistency             

15  with the plan.  The interim siting mechanism shall be operative             

16  upon the call of the county board of commissioners or shall                 

17  automatically be operative whenever the annual certification                

18  process shows that available disposal capacity will provide for             

19  less than 66 months of disposal needs.  In the latter event,                

20  applications for a finding of consistency from the proposers of             

21  disposal area capacity will be received by the planning agency              

22  commencing on January 1 following completion of the annual                  

23  certification process.  Once operative, an interim siting                   

24  mechanism will remain operative for at least 90 days or until               

25  more than 66 months of disposal capacity is once again available,           

26  either by the approval of a request for consistency or by the               

27  adoption of a new annual certification process which concludes              

1   that more than 66 months of disposal capacity is available.                 

2   (5)  (4)  An annual certification process shall be concluded                

3   by June 30 of each year, commencing on the first June 30 which is           

4   more than 12 months after the department's approval of the solid            

5   waste management plan or plan update.  The certification process            

6   will examine the remaining disposal area capacity available for             

7   solid wastes generated within the planning area.  In calculating            

8   disposal need requirements to measure compliance with this                  

9   section, only those existing waste stream volume reduction levels           

10  achieved through source reduction, reuse, composting, recycling,            

11  or incineration, or any combination of these reduction devices,             

12  that can currently be demonstrated or that can be reasonably                

13  expected to be achieved through currently active implementation             

14  efforts for proposed volume reduction projects, may be assumed.             

15  The annual certification of disposal capacity shall be approved             

16  by the board of commissioners.  Failure to approve an annual                

17  certification by June 30 is equivalent to a finding that less               

18  than a sufficient amount of capacity is available and the interim           

19  siting mechanism will then be operative on the first day of the             

20  following January.  As part of the department's responsibility to           

21  act on construction permit applications, the department has final           

22  decision authority to approve or disapprove capacity                        

23  certifications and to determine consistency of a proposed                   

24  disposal area with the solid waste management plan.                         

25  (6)  (5)  A board of commissioners may adopt a new                          

26  certification of disposal capacity at any time.  A new                      

27  certification of disposal capacity shall supersede all previous             

1   certifications, and become effective 30 days after adoption by              

2   the board of commissioners and remain in effect until subsequent            

3   certifications are adopted.                                                 

4   (7)  (6)  In order for a disposal area to serve the disposal                

5   needs of another county, state, or country, the service,                    

6   including the disposal of municipal solid waste incinerator ash,            

7   must be explicitly authorized in the approved solid waste                   

8   management plan of the receiving county.  With regard to                    

9   intercounty service within Michigan, the service must also be               

10  explicitly authorized in the solid waste management plan of the             

11  exporting county.                                                           

12  (8)  (7)  A person shall not dispose of, store, or transport                

13  solid waste in this state unless the person complies with the               

14  requirements of this part.                                                  

15  (9)  (8)  An ordinance, law, rule, regulation, policy, or                   

16  practice of a municipality, county, or governmental authority               

17  created by statute, which prohibits or regulates the location or            

18  development of a solid waste disposal area, and which is not part           

19  of or not consistent with the approved solid waste management               

20  plan for the county,  shall be considered is in conflict with              

21  this part and  shall not be is not enforceable.