SENATE
HOUSE
JOINT
BILL STATUS
STATE LAW
REPORTS
EDUCATIONAL
CONTACT
home
home
Introduced Version House Bill 4339 History

OTHER VERSIONS  -  Committee Substitute  |  Enrolled Committee Substitute  |     |  Email
Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
ole.gif

H. B. 4339

 

         (By Delegate Campbell)

         [Introduced January 27, 2014; referred to the

         Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]

 

 

 

 

A BILL to amend and reenact §22-16-11 and §22-16-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to ensuring that moneys from the Solid Waste Authority Closure Cost Assistance Fund are available to facilitate the closure of the Elkins-Randolph County Landfill and the Webster County Landfill.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

    That §22-16-11 and §22-16-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 16. SOLID WASTE LANDFILL CLOSURE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

§22-16-11. Application for closure assistance.

    (a) The director shall provide an application and application procedure for all permitees of solid waste landfills desiring to receive closure assistance under this article. At a minimum the procedure shall require that:

    (1) The permittee of a landfill that does not have a liner system must submit its application no later than September 15, 1992, except the permittee of a landfill that has been allowed to accept solid waste pursuant to the provisions of section seventeen, article fifteen of this chapter must submit its application no later than the eleven months following the expiration of the extension;

    (2) The permittee of a landfill that has only a single liner system must submit its application no later than eleven months following the date of closure of the landfill. and

    (3) The permittee of a landfill as provided for in subsection (g), section twelve, article sixteen of this chapter must submit its application for assistance on or before December 31, 2000: Provided, That no landfill is eligible for closure assistance if any portion of the landfill remains open or application is made for reopening with the Division of Environmental Protection or the Public Service Commission.

    (b) The director shall, within a reasonable time after receipt of a complete application, notify the applicant of the acceptance or rejection of the application. If the application is rejected the notice shall contain the reasons for the rejection.

§22-16-12. Solid Waste Facility Closure Cost Assistance Fund; closure extension; reporting requirements.

    (a) The "Closure Cost Assistance Fund" is continued continues as a special revenue account in the State Treasury. The fund shall operate operates as a special fund whereby in which all deposits and payments thereto do not expire to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in such the account and be are available for expenditure in the succeeding fiscal year. Separate subaccounts may be established within the special account for the purpose of identification of various revenue resources and payment of specific obligations.

    (b) Interest earned on any money in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.

    (c) The fund consists of the following:

    (1) Moneys collected and deposited in the State Treasury which are specifically designated by Acts of the Legislature for inclusion in the fund, including moneys collected and deposited into the fund pursuant to section four of this article;

    (2) Contributions, grants and gifts from any source, both public and private, which may be used by the secretary for any project or projects;

    (3) Amounts repaid by permitees pursuant to section eighteen, article fifteen of this chapter; and

    (4) All interest earned on investments made by the state from moneys deposited in this fund.

    (d) The Solid Waste Management Board, upon written approval of the secretary, has the authority to pledge all or such part of the revenues paid into the Closure Cost Assistance Fund as may be needed to meet the requirements of any revenue bond issue or issues of the Solid Waste Management Board authorized by this article, including the payment of principal of, interest and redemption premium, if any, on such the revenue bonds and the establishing and maintaining of a reserve fund or funds for the payment of the principal of, interest and redemption premium, if any, on such the revenue bond issue or issues when where other moneys pledged may be insufficient therefor. Any pledge of moneys in the Closure Cost Assistance Fund for revenue bonds shall be is a prior and superior charge on such the fund over the use of any of the moneys in such the fund to pay for the cost of any project on a cash basis. Expenditures from the fund, other than for the retirement of revenue bonds, may only be made in accordance with this article.

    (e) The amounts deposited in the fund may be expended only on the cost of projects as provided for in sections three and fifteen of this article, as provided in subsection (f) of this section and for payment of bonds and notes issued pursuant to section five of this article. No more than two percent of the annual deposits to such the fund may be used for administrative purposes.

    (f) Notwithstanding any provision of this article, upon request of the Solid Waste Management Board, and with the approval of the projects by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, the secretary may pledge and place into escrow accounts up to an aggregate of $2,000,000 of the fund to satisfy two years debt service requirement that permitees of publicly-owned landfills and transfer stations are required to meet in order to obtain loans. Pledges shall be made on a project-by-project basis, may not exceed $500,000 for a project and shall be are made available after loan commitments are received. The secretary may pledge funds for a loan only when the following conditions are met:

    (1) The proceeds of the loan are used only to perform construction of a transfer station or a composite liner system that is required to meet title forty-seven, series thirty-eight, solid waste management rules;

    (2) The permittee dedicates all yearly debt service revenue, as determined by the Public Service Commission, to meet the repayment schedule of the loan, before it uses available revenue for any other purpose; and

    (3) That any funds pledged may only be paid to the lender if the permittee is in default on the loan.

    (g) Any landfills which were ordered to close by December 31, 1994, and which have been granted a certificate of need pursuant to subsection (b), section one-c, article two, chapter twenty-four of this code or section one-i of said article are hereby granted a closure extension until January 1, 1996. No landfill which closed on or before September 30, 1994, shall be eligible for such an extension. Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, the Elkins-Randolph County Landfill, located in Randolph County, and the Webster County Landfill, located in Webster County, are eligible for funds from the Solid Waste Facility Closure Cost Assistance Fund necessary to complete their closure upon the filing of appropriate application. Upon the filing of an appropriate application, the Department of Environmental Protection shall work with the applicant to ensure the application meets the department’s requirements.

    (h) The Department of Environmental Protection is required to file, by January 1 of each ensuing year, an annual report with the Joint Committee on Government and Finance providing details on the manner in which the landfill closure assistance funds were expended for the prior fiscal year.

    (i) Notwithstanding any other contrary provision of this code, the secretary shall place as a top priority to expend any and all funds derived from the Solid Waste Facility Closure Cost Assistance Fund necessary to facilitate the complete closure forthwith of the now-defunct Gwinn or otherwise known as the Midwest Landfill, located in Summers County.



    NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection to make money available in the Solid Waste Facility Closure Cost Assistance Fund to facilitate the complete closure of the Elkins-Randolph County Landfill and the Webster County Landfill.


    Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates language that would be added.

This Web site is maintained by the West Virginia Legislature's Office of Reference & Information.  |  Terms of Use  |   Email WebmasterWebmaster   |   © 2024 West Virginia Legislature **


X

Print On Demand

Name:
Email:
Phone:

Print