2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 27A. Environment and Natural Resources › §27A-2-7-111. Prohibited disposal - Hazardous waste facility for on-site or off-site treatment, recycling, storage or disposal.

A. The practice of plowing hazardous waste into the soil surface for the purpose of disposal is hereby prohibited except pursuant to a plan approved by the Department of Environmental Quality for biodegradable or inert material. In addition, the site used for such disposal shall not be subject to flooding or extensive erosion. The administrative permit hearing provisions of Sections 2-7-113, 2-7-113.1 and 2-14-304 of this title shall not apply to soil farming operations conducted on the generator's plant site or nearby property under the control of the generator.
B. A hazardous waste facility for on-site treatment, recycling or storage shall not be sited in or over a principal groundwater resource or recharge area as determined in writing by the Oklahoma Geological Survey, except pursuant to a plan approved by the Department. The plan shall contain such design criteria and groundwater monitoring provisions as deemed necessary by the Department to protect the quality of said principal groundwater resource or recharge area. The plan shall also provide for the establishment and maintenance of a bond or other financial assurance in a form and amount acceptable to the Department, specifically for the purpose of assuring both immediate response and containment and comprehensive remediation as directed by the Department in the event of a release to soil or water of any hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituent.
C. 1. Except as provided in paragraph 3 of this subsection, a hazardous waste facility for off-site treatment, recycling or storage or for on-site or off-site disposal shall not be sited in or over a principal groundwater resource or recharge area as determined in writing by the Oklahoma Geological Survey.
2.
a.
Except as provided in subparagraph b of this paragraph, a facility for off-site treatment, storage, recycling or disposal of hazardous waste shall not be sited in any other area of the state without the prior written approval of an emergency and release response plan by the affected property owners as such term is defined in Section 2-7-103 of this title. Such plan shall provide for the minimization of hazards to the health and property of such affected property owners from emergency situations or from sudden or nonsudden releases of hazardous waste or constituents thereof.
After the applicant has made a reasonable effort to negotiate said plan with the affected property owners and has acquired the written approval of a majority of the affected property owners, the applicant may certify to the Department that such reasonable effort has been made and that a minority of the affected property owners would not consent. The Department may then issue the permit if it meets all other requirements.
The Department is expressly authorized to review the reasons of the affected property owners for nonapproval of the plan. If nonapproval is not based solely upon minimization of environmental hazards to the health and property of the affected property owners, the Department shall exclude those affected property owners from a calculation of a majority of affected property owners. The Department shall have the final authority to issue or not to issue any permit to any treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
b.
Existing industrial facilities not currently receiving hazardous waste which propose to begin receiving hazardous waste from off-site, including facilities at which the hazardous waste is to be utilized as fuel in a recycling unit and all other existing industrial facilities, shall submit an emergency and release response plan as part of the permit application. The plan shall be subject to public review and comment as part of the permit application pursuant to Section 2-7-113 of this title or the Oklahoma Uniform Environmental Permitting Act prior to final approval or disapproval by the Department. Upon submittal of the proposed plan to the Department, the applicant shall be required to mail a copy of said plan to the affected property owners and shall promptly thereafter certify to the Department that such mailing has been made. If a permit is issued, the permittee shall send the final plan by first-class mail to the last-known address of all affected property owners.
c.
An emergency and release response plan for a new or existing facility, located or to be located within the city limits or within the emergency response area of any incorporated city or town, which proposes to begin receiving hazardous waste from off-site shall not be approved by the Department until at least sixty (60) days after the city or town has been served with a copy of the plan by the applicant. During said sixty-day period the city or town shall have the opportunity to review the plan and comment to the Department upon the ability of the city to comply with any item in the plan requiring the participation of or assistance by the city or town or any departments or agencies thereof.
3. The Department may grant a variance to an off-site hazardous waste treatment, recycling or storage facility to allow the siting of such facility over a principal groundwater resource or recharge area as determined in paragraph 1 of this subsection, upon the following conditions:
a.
the request for variance, and a detailed rationale, shall be included in the permit application,
b.
the Department shall receive and consider comments on the appropriateness of the proposed variance at any formal public meeting or administrative permit hearing conducted on the draft permit or proposed permit pursuant to the provisions of Section 2-7-113 of this title or the Oklahoma Uniform Environmental Permitting Act,
c.
the applicant shall bear the burden of establishing clearly and convincingly to the Department that the design, construction and operation of the proposed facility will be such that the risk of a release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents directly or indirectly to groundwater is minimal, and
d.
the permit application shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a bond or other financial assurance as described and for the purposes specified in subsection B of this section.
D. The provisions of this section shall apply to:
1. Applications for future proposed sites;
2. Pending applications for new hazardous waste permits; and
3. Applications for permits to modify existing facilities which have either a permit or interim status when the proposed modification involves the opportunity for an administrative permit hearing.
E. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of subsection C of this section shall not apply to applications to increase existing storage, treatment, recycling or disposal capacity or to modify existing disposal sites for treatment or disposal. Such modification of existing disposal sites shall include upgrading said facilities to use the best available waste destruction technology such as incineration, detoxification, recycling or neutralization technology.
Added by Laws 1976, c. 251, § 16. Amended by Laws 1978, c. 260, § 15, emerg. eff. May 10, 1978; Laws 1981, c. 322, § 16, eff. July 1, 1981. Renumbered from Title 63, § 2765 by Laws 1981, c. 322, § 18, eff. July 1, 1981. Amended by Laws 1987, c. 51, § 2, emerg. eff. April 29, 1987; Laws 1988, c. 42, § 2, emerg. eff. March 21, 1988; Laws 1991, c. 336, § 2, eff. July 1, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 403, § 32, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 1993, c. 145, § 94, eff. July 1, 1993. Renumbered from Title 63, § 1-2014 by Laws 1993, c. 145, § 359, eff. July 1, 1993. Amended by Laws 1993, c. 324, § 29, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 373, § 13, eff. July 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 285, § 3, eff. July 1, 1995.
NOTE: Laws 1981, c. 277, § 5 and Laws 1981, c. 322, § 16 repealed by Laws 1993, c. 10, § 16, emerg. eff. March 21, 1993.