Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb427%20intr.htm&yr=2017&sesstype=RS&i=427&link_id=17&can_id=98ee97fc3891ccc554978c8d54f678b4&source=email-and-the-hits-just-keep-on-comin-and-yet-we-fight&email_referrer=and-the-hits-just-keep-on-comin-and-yet-we-fight&email_subject=and-the-hits-just-keep-on-comin-and-yet-we-fight
Timestamp: 2017-09-23 16:39:47
Document Index: 85279386

Matched Legal Cases: ['§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22', '§22']

By Senators Blair and Boso
A BILL to amend and reenact §22-2-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §22-3-11 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-4-22, §22-4-23 and §22-4-26 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-6-29 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-11-10 and §22-11-25 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-12-9 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-14-18 and §22-14-19 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-15A-9 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-16-12 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-17-20, §22-17-21 and §22-17-22 of said code; to amend and reenact §22-18-22 of said code; and to amend and reenact §22C-2-3 of said code, all relating to special revenue funds administered or used by the Department of Environmental Protection; providing that expenditures from certain funds are not authorized from collections but shall be authorized only by line item appropriation by the Legislature; eliminating authorization for certain funds to be expended for administrative purposes; the Abandoned Land Reclamation Fund; the Special Reclamation Water Trust Fund; the Bond Pooling Fund; the Quarry Reclamation Fund; the Quarry Inspection and Enforcement Fund; the Oil and Gas Operating Permit and Processing Fund; the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund; the Water Quality Management Fund; the Natural Resources Game Fish and Aquatic Life Fund; the Groundwater Protection Fund; the Groundwater Remediation Fund; the Dam Safety Fund; the Dam Safety Rehabilitation Revolving Fund; the A. James Manchin Fund; the Closure Cost Assistance Fund; the Underground Storage Tank Administrative Fund; the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Response Fund; the Underground Storage Tank Insurance Fund; the Hazardous Waste Management Fund; and the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund.
That §22-2-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; that §22-3-11 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-4-22, §22-4-23 and §22-4-26 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-6-29 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-11-10 and §22-11-25 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-12-9 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-14-18 and §22-14-19 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-15A-9 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-16-12 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-17-20, §22-17-21 and §22-17-22 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §22-18-22 of said code be amended and reenacted; and that §22C-2-3 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
Chapter 22: Environmental Resources.
(a) All abandoned land reclamation funds available under Title IV of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, as amended, private donations received, any state appropriated or transferred funds, or funds received from the sale of land by the secretary under this article shall be deposited with the Treasurer of the State of West Virginia to the credit of the abandoned land reclamation fund heretofore created, and expended pursuant to the requirements of this article. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but shall only be authorized by line item appropriation by the Legislature.
(A) The special account in the State Treasury designated the "Reclamation and Restoration Fund" is hereby continued. Moneys in the fund may be expended by the secretary to achieve the priorities stated in subdivision (1) of this subsection after September 30, 1995; and for associated administrative and personnel expenses or
(B) The special account in the State Treasury designated the "Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Fund" is hereby continued. Moneys in the fund may be expended by the secretary to implement, in consultation with the United States soil conservation service, acid mine drainage abatement and treatment plans approved by the secretary of the United States department of interior. and for associated administrative and personnel expenses The plans shall provide for the comprehensive abatement of the causes and treatment of the effects of acid mine drainage within qualified hydrologic units affected by coal surface-mining practices. The moneys accrued in this fund, any earnings thereon, and yield from investments by the State Treasurer or West Virginia Investment Management Board are reserved solely and exclusively for the purposes set forth in this section of the code. Any interest accrued on any moneys deposited into the Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Fund which previously defaulted from that account into general revenue shall be credited back to the fund on or before July 1, 2014.
(c)(1) The form of the bond shall be approved by the secretary and may include, at the option of the operator, surety bonding, collateral bonding (including cash and securities), establishment of an escrow account, self bonding or a combination of these methods. If collateral bonding is used, the operator may elect to deposit cash or collateral securities or certificates as follows: Bonds of the United States or its possessions of the Federal Land Bank or of the Homeowners' Loan Corporation; full faith and credit general obligation bonds of the State of West Virginia or other states and of any county, district or municipality of the State of West Virginia or other states; or certificates of deposit in a bank in this state, which certificates shall be in favor of the department. The cash deposit or market value of the securities or certificates shall be equal to or greater than the penal sum of the bond. The secretary shall, upon receipt of any deposit of cash, securities or certificates, promptly place the same with the Treasurer of the State of West Virginia whose duty it is to receive and hold the deposit in the name of the state in trust for the purpose for which the deposit is made when the permit is issued. The operator making the deposit is entitled, from time to time, to receive from the State Treasurer, upon the written approval of the secretary, the whole or any portion of any cash, securities or certificates so deposited, upon depositing with him or her in lieu thereof cash or other securities or certificates of the classes specified in this subsection having value equal to or greater than the sum of the bond.
(g)(1) The Special Reclamation Fund previously created is continued. The Special Reclamation Water Trust Fund is created within the State Treasury into and from which moneys shall be paid for the purpose of assuring a reliable source of capital to reclaim and restore water treatment systems on forfeited sites: Provided, That expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but shall only be authorized by line item appropriation by the Legislature. The moneys accrued in both funds, any interest earned thereon and yield from investments by the State Treasurer or West Virginia Investment Management Board are reserved solely and exclusively for the purposes set forth in this section and section seventeen, article one of this chapter. The funds shall be administered by the secretary who is authorized to expend the moneys in both funds for the reclamation and rehabilitation of lands which were subjected to permitted surface mining operations and abandoned after August 3, 1977, where the amount of the bond posted and forfeited on the land is less than the actual cost of reclamation, and where the land is not eligible for abandoned mine land reclamation funds under article two of this chapter. The secretary shall develop a long-range planning process for selection and prioritization of sites to be reclaimed so as to avoid inordinate short-term obligations of the assets in both funds of such magnitude that the solvency of either is jeopardized. The secretary may use both funds for the purpose of designing, constructing and maintaining water treatment systems when they are required for a complete reclamation of the affected lands described in this subsection. The secretary may also expend an amount not to exceed ten percent of the total annual assets in both funds to implement and administer the provisions of this article and, as they apply to the Surface Mine Board, articles one and four, chapter twenty-two-b of this code.
(2)(A) A tax credit shall be granted against the tax imposed by subsection (i) of this section to any mine operator who performs reclamation or remediation at a bond forfeiture site which otherwise would have been reclaimed using funds from the Special Reclamation Fund or Special Reclamation Water Trust Fund The credit authorized pursuant to this subdivision is retroactive and may be claimed for reclamation or remediation performed on or after January 1, 2012: Provided, That for reclamation or remediation performed prior to July 13, 2013, no tax credit may be granted unless a written application for the tax credit was submitted to the Tax Commissioner prior to September 1, 2014. The amount of credit shall be determined as provided in this section.
(c) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue fund known as the "Bond Pooling Fund." The fund shall operate as a special fund whereby all deposits and payments thereto do not expire to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in the fund and be available for expenditure in succeeding fiscal years Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. This fund shall consist of fees collected by the director in accordance with the provisions of this article. Interests of moneys from this fund shall be deposited in the Quarry Reclamation Fund as established in section twenty-three of subsection (b) of this section. Interest earned on moneys in this fund shall be deposited in the Quarry Reclamation Fund as established in section twenty-three of this article.
(a) All funds received by the division from forfeiture of bonds, civil administrative penalties, or interest from the Bond Pooling Fund shall be deposited into a special interest-bearing account in the State Treasury designated the Quarry Reclamation Fund. The Quarry Reclamation Fund shall be used by the division for reclamation of abandoned quarries. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
The permit application fee is $1,000. The fee for the original permit is $1,000. The permit renewal fee of $500 shall be submitted with the renewal application and a progress report map. The fee for transferring a permit is $500. The fee for a minor permit modification is $200 and for major modifications, $500. There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue fund known as the Quarry Inspection and Enforcement Fund. The fund shall operate as a special fund whereby all deposits and payments thereto do not expire to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in the fund and be available for expenditure in succeeding fiscal years This fund shall consist of fees collected by the director in accordance with the provisions of this section, as well as interest earned on investments made from moneys deposited in the fund. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. Moneys from this fund shall be expended by the director for the administration, permitting, enforcement, inspection, monitoring and other activities required by this article.
(a) There is hereby continued within the Treasury of the State of West Virginia the special fund known as the Oil and Gas Operating Permit and Processing Fund, and the secretary shall depPosit with the State Treasurer to the credit of such special fund all fees collected under the provisions of subdivision ten, subsection (c), section two of this article. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
There is hereby continued within the Treasury of the State of West Virginia the special fund known as the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund, and the secretary shall deposit with the State Treasurer to the credit of such special fund all special reclamation fees collected. The proceeds of any bond forfeited under the provisions of this article shall inure to the benefit of and shall be deposited in such Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
(b) The permit application fees and annual permit fees established and collected pursuant to this section; any interest or surcharge assessed and collected by the secretary; interest accruing on investments and deposits of the fund; and any other moneys designated by the secretary shall be deposited into the Water Quality Management Fund. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The secretary shall expend the proceeds of the Water Quality Management Fund for the review of initial permit applications, renewal permit applications and permit issuance activities.
If any loss of game fish or aquatic life results from a person or persons' failure or refusal to discharge any duty imposed upon such person by this article, section seven, article six of this chapter or article eleven-a of this chapter, either the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources or the Division Department of Environmental Protection, or both jointly may initiate a civil action on behalf of the State of West Virginia to recover from such person or persons causing such loss a sum equal to the cost of replacing such game fish or aquatic life. Any moneys so collected shall be deposited in a special revenue fund entitled "Natural Resources Game Fish and Aquatic Life Fund" and shall be expended as hereinafter provided. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The fund shall be expended to stock waters of this state with game fish and aquatic life. Where feasible, the Director of the Division of Natural Resources shall use any sum collected in accordance with the provisions of this section to stock waters in the area in which the loss resulting in the collection of such sum occurred. Any balance of such sum shall remain in said fund and be expended to stock state-owned and -operated fishing lakes and ponds, wherever located in this state, with game fish and aquatic life.
(a) The Director of the Division Department of Environmental Protection shall promulgate legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code establishing a schedule of groundwater protection fees applicable to persons who own or operate facilities or conduct activities subject to the provisions of this article. The schedule of fees shall be calculated by the director to recover the reasonable and necessary costs of implementing the provisions of this article as it relates to a particular facility or activity. In addition, the fee may include an appropriate assessment of other program costs not otherwise attributable to any particular facility or activity. Such fees in the aggregate shall not exceed $1 million per year and shall be deposited into the Groundwater Protection Fund established pursuant to this article: Provided, That any unexpended balance in the Groundwater Protection Fund at the end of each fiscal year may, by an act of the Legislature, be transferred to the Groundwater Remediation Fund created by this article. Provided, however, That if no action is taken to transfer the unexpended balance to the remediation fund, such moneys shall not be transferred to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in the groundwater protection fund Such fees imposed by this section are in addition to all other fees and taxes levied by law. The director shall require such fees to be paid at the time of certification pursuant to section eight of this article, or at such more frequent time as the director may deem to be appropriate. The director may withhold certification pursuant to section eight of this article where such fees have not been timely paid.
(b) The Director of the Division Department of Environmental Protection shall also promulgate legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code establishing a schedule of groundwater remediation fees which in the aggregate shall not exceed $250,000. Such groundwater remediation fees shall be assessed over a time period not to exceed two years from effective date of such rules and shall be deposited into the Groundwater Remediation Fund established pursuant to this article. Such fees shall be assessed against persons who own or operate facilities or conduct activities subject to the provisions of this article in proportion to the groundwater protection fees assessed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section for the year in which such groundwater remediation fees, or any portion thereof, are assessed.
(1) The "Groundwater Protection Fund", the moneys of which shall be expended by the director in the administration, certification, enforcement, inspection, monitoring, planning, research and other activities of the environmental quality board, Division Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau for Public Health and Department of Agriculture in accordance with legislative rules promulgated pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code: Provided, That expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The moneys, including the interest thereon, in said fund shall be kept and maintained by the director and expended without appropriation by the Legislature for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this article. The director may withhold the payment of any such moneys to any agency whose groundwater protection program has been determined by the director, in consultation with the groundwater coordinating committee, not to be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this article and where such agency has failed to adequately address such determination within the time period specified by the director. At the end of each fiscal year, any unexpended balance of said fund shall may not be transferred to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in the groundwater protection fund.
(2) The "Groundwater Remediation Fund", the moneys of which, to the extent that moneys are available, shall be expended by the director for the purposes of investigation, clean-up and remedial action intended to identify, minimize or mitigate damage to the environment, natural resources, public and private water supplies, surface waters and groundwaters and the public health, safety and general welfare which may result from contamination of groundwater or the related environment: Provided, That expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The director or other authorized agency officials are authorized to recover through civil action or Cooperative agreements with responsible persons the full amount of any and all Groundwater Remediation Fund moneys expended pursuant to this article. All moneys expended from such fund which are so recovered shall be deposited in such fund. The director may expend moneys from said fund and the interest thereon without necessity of appropriation by the Legislature. All civil penalties and assessments of civil administrative penalties collected pursuant to this article shall be deposited into the said fund. In addition, said fund may receive proceeds from any gifts, grants, contributions or other moneys accruing to the state which are specifically designated for inclusion in the fund.
(b) All certificate application fees and annual registration fee assessments, any interest or surcharge assessed and collected by the department, interest accruing on investments and deposits of the fund, and any other moneys designated by the department shall be paid into the fund. Accrual of funds shall not exceed $300.000 per year, exclusive of application fees. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The department shall expend the proceeds of the fund for the review of applications, inspection of dams, payment of costs of remedial emergency actions and enforcement of the provisions of this article.
(a) There is created in the State Treasury a special revenue fund known as the Dam Safety Rehabilitation Revolving Fund. The fund shall be comprised of money allocated to the state by the federal government expressly for the purposes of establishing and maintaining a state Dam Safety Rehabilitation Revolving Fund. The fund shall also include all receipts from loans made by the fund, any moneys appropriated by the Legislature, all income from the investment of moneys held in the fund and all other moneys designated for deposit to the fund from any source, public or private. The fund shall operate as a special revenue fund and all deposits and payments into the fund do not expire to the General Revenue Fund, but shall remain in the account and be available for expenditure in succeeding fiscal years Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
(b) The fund, to the extent that money is available, shall be used solely to make loans to persons who own an interest in a deficient dam on the list of deficient dams created pursuant to section twenty of this article to finance the engineering, design, alteration, improvement, repair, breaching or removal of the deficient dam necessary to correct or remove the deficiencies and other activities as authorized by a federal grant, a legislative appropriation or by the secretary pursuant to section twenty-two of this article. The fund may also be used to defray costs incurred by the department or the authority in administering the provisions of this subsection
(a) There is continued in the State Treasury a special revenue fund known as the A. James Manchin Fund. All moneys appropriated, deposited or accrued in this fund shall be used exclusively for remediation of waste tire piles as required by this article, for the tire disposal program established under section ten of this article or for the purposes of subsection (h), section ten of this article or for the purposes of subsection (c), section eleven of this article. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The Commissioner of the Division of Highways shall work with and may use moneys in the fund to contract with the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection to accomplish the remediation of waste tire piles. The fund consists of the proceeds from the sale of waste tires; fees collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles as provided in section sixteen, article ten, chapter seventeen-a of this code; any federal, state or private grants; legislative appropriations; loans; and any other funding source available for waste tire remediation. Any unprogrammed balance remaining in the fund at the end of any state fiscal year shall be transferred to the State Road Fund.
(a) The Closure Cost Assistance Fund continues as a special revenue account in the State Treasury. The fund operates as a special fund in which all deposits and payments do not expire to the General Revenue Fund, but remain in the account and are available for expenditure in the succeeding fiscal year Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. Separate subaccounts may be established within the special account for the purpose of identification of various revenue resources and payment of specific obligations.
(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 million 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 are made available after loan commitments are received. The secretary may pledge funds for a loan only when the following conditions are met:
(a) The secretary shall collect annual registration fees from owners of underground storage tanks. The registration fee collected under this section may not exceed $65 per tank per year. All such registration fees and the net proceeds of all fines, penalties and forfeitures collected under this article including accrued interest shall be paid into the State Treasury into a special revenue fund designated the “Underground Storage Tank Administrative Fund” to be used to defray the cost of administering this article in accordance with rules promulgated pursuant to section six of this article. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. The secretary shall promulgate an emergency rule in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, implementing the increase in registration fees. This fee of up to $65 is effective for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2004.
(b) The total fee assessed shall be sufficient to assure a balance in the fund not to exceed $1 million at the beginning of each year.
(d) The net proceeds of all fines, penalties and forfeitures collected under this article shall be appropriated as directed by article XII, section 5 of the Constitution of West Virginia. For the purposes of this section, the net proceeds of such fines, penalties and forfeitures are the proceeds remaining after deducting from the proceeds those sums appropriated by the Legislature for defraying the cost of administering this article. In making the appropriation for defraying the cost of administering this article, the Legislature shall first take into account the sums included in the special fund prior to deducting additional sums as may be needed from the civil fines, civil penalties and forfeitures collected pursuant to this article. At the end of each fiscal year any unexpended balance of the collected civil fines, civil penalties, forfeitures and registration fees shall not be transferred to the General Revenue Fund. but shall remain in the fund
(a) Each underground petroleum storage tank owner within this state shall pay an annual fee, if assessed by the director, to establish a fund to assure adequate response to leaking underground petroleum storage tanks. The fees assessed pursuant to this section shall not exceed $25 per tank per year. The proceeds of such assessment shall be paid into the State Treasury into a special fund designated “the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Response Fund”, which is hereby continued. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
(a) The secretary may establish an Underground Storage Tank Insurance Fund for the purpose of satisfying the financial responsibility requirements established pursuant to section ten of this article. In addition to the capitalization fee to be assessed against all owners or operators of underground storage tanks provided by subdivision (6), subsection (b), section six of this article, the secretary shall promulgate rules establishing an annual financial responsibility assessment to be assessed on and paid by owners or operators of underground storage tanks who are unable to obtain insurance or otherwise meet the financial responsibility requirements established pursuant to section ten of this article. Assessments shall be paid into the State Treasury into a special fund designated the Underground Storage Tank Insurance Fund. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature.
(a) The net proceeds of all fines, penalties and forfeitures collected under this article shall be appropriated as directed by section five, article XII of the Constitution of West Virginia. For the purposes of this section, the net proceeds of the fines, penalties and forfeitures are considered the proceeds remaining after deducting therefrom those sums appropriated by the Legislature for defraying the cost of administering this article. All permit application fees collected under this article shall be paid into the State Treasury into a special fund designated the Hazardous Waste Management Fund. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. In making the appropriation for defraying the cost of administering this article, the Legislature shall first take into account the sums included in that special fund prior to deducting additional sums as may be needed from the fines, penalties and forfeitures collected pursuant to this article.
(a) Under the direction of the Division Department of Environmental Protection, the water development authority shall establish, administer and manage a permanent and perpetual fund, to be known as the "West Virginia Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund." The fund shall be comprised of moneys appropriated to the fund by the Legislature, moneys allocated to the state by the federal government expressly for the purposes of establishing and maintaining a state Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund, all receipts from loans made from the fund to local entities, all income from the investment of moneys held in the fund, and all other sums designated for deposits to the fund from any source, public or private. Expenditures from the fund are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature. Moneys in the fund shall be used solely to make loans to local entities to finance or refinance the costs of a project: Provided, That moneys in the fund shall be utilized to defray the costs incurred by the authority and the Division of Environmental Protection in administering the provisions of this article: Provided, however, That moneys in the fund shall be used to make grants for projects to the extent allowed or authorized by federal law.
(b) The Director of the Division Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the authority, shall promulgate legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, to:
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to convert certain nonappropriated special revenue funds administered by the Department of Environmental Protection into appropriated special revenue funds.