GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1997

S	1 

SENATE BILL 151*

Short Title:  Inactive Haz. Sites Info.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Cooper; Horton and Odom.

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Referred to:  Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources.

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February 17, 1997

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE DUTY OF AN OWNER, OPERATOR, OR OTHER RESPONSIBLE PARTY OF AN INACTIVE HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE OR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE TO NOTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE SITE, TO REQUIRE OWNERS, OPERATORS, AND OTHER RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO FURNISH INFORMATION REGARDING THE SITE, AND TO SIMPLIFY THE INACTIVE HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE OR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE INVENTORY, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COMMISSION.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 130A-310.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 130A-310.1.  Identification, inventory, and monitoring of inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal sites; duty of owners, operators, and responsible parties to provide information and access; remedies.
(a)	The Department shall develop and implement a program for locating, cataloguing, and monitoring all inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal sites in North Carolina.  The Secretary shall compile and maintain an inventory of all inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal sites based on information submitted by owners, operators, and responsible parties, and on data obtained directly by the Secretary.  The Secretary shall maintain records of any evidence of contamination to the air, surface water, groundwater, surface or subsurface soils, or waste streams for inventoried sites.  The records shall include all available information on the extent of any actual damage or potential danger to public health or to the environment resulting from the contamination.
(b)	The Commission shall develop and make available a format and checklist for submission of data relevant to inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal sites.  Within 90 days of the date on which an owner, operator, or responsible party knows or should know of the existence of an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site, the owner, operator, or responsible party shall submit to the Secretary all site data that is known or readily available to the owner, operator, or responsible party.  The owner, operator, or responsible party shall certify under oath that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the data is complete and accurate.
(c)	Whenever the Secretary determines that there is a release, or substantial threat of a release, into the environment of a hazardous substance from an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site, the Secretary may, in addition to any other powers he may have, order any responsible party to conduct any monitoring, testing, analysis, and reporting that the Secretary deems reasonable and necessary to ascertain the nature and extent of any hazard posed by the site.  Written notice of any order issued pursuant to this section shall be given to all persons subject to the order as set out in G.S. 130A-310.3(c).  The Secretary, prior to the entry of any order, shall solicit the cooperation of the responsible party.
(d)	If a person fails to submit data as required in subsection (b) of this section or violates the requirements or schedules in an order issued pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the Secretary may institute an action for injunctive relief, irrespective of all other remedies at law, in the superior court of the county where the violation occurred or where a defendant resides.
(e)	Whenever a person ordered to take any action pursuant to this section is unable or fails to do so, or if the Secretary, after making a reasonable attempt, is unable to locate any responsible party, the Secretary may take the action.  The cost of any action by the Secretary pursuant to this section may be paid from the Inactive Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, subject to a later action for reimbursement pursuant to G.S. 130A-310.7.  The provisions of subdivisions (a)(1) to (a)(3) of G.S.130A-310.6 shall apply to any action taken by the Secretary pursuant to this section.
(f)	Upon reasonable notice, the Secretary may require any person to furnish to the Secretary any information, document, or record in that person's possession or under that person's control that relates to:
(1)	The identification, nature, and quantity of material that has been or is generated, treated, stored, or disposed of at an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site or that is transported to an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site.
(2)	The nature and extent of a release or threatened release of a hazardous substance or hazardous waste at or from an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site.
(3)	Information relating to the ability of a person to pay for or to perform a cleanup.
(g)	A person who is required to furnish any information, document, or record under subsection (f) of this section shall either allow the Secretary to inspect and copy all information, documents, and records or shall copy and furnish to the Secretary all information, documents, and records at the expense of the person.
(h)	To collect information to administer this Part, the Secretary may subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents, records, reports, answers to questions, and any other information that the Secretary deems necessary.  Witnesses shall be paid the same fees and mileage that are paid to witnesses in proceedings in the General Court of Justice.  In the event that a person fails to comply with a subpoena issued under this subsection, the Secretary may seek enforcement of the subpoena in the superior court in any county where the inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site is located, in the county where the person resides, or in the county where the person has his or her principal place of business.
(i)	A person who owns or has control over an inactive hazardous substance or waste disposal site shall grant the Secretary access to the site at reasonable times.  If a person fails to grant the Secretary access to the site, the Secretary may obtain an administrative search and inspection warrant as provided by G.S. 15-27.2."
Section 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.