2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 24. Public Service Commission › Article 2. Powers and Duties of Public Service Commission › §24-2-1i. Commission Authorized to Issue Emergency Certificate of Need to Certain Commercial Solid Waste Facilities; Division of Environmental Protection to Modify Facility Permit; Criteria for Emergency Certificates

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this article, or any provision of article five-f or nine, chapter twenty, or any other provision of this code, upon the application of any commercial solid waste facility, the commission may grant to a commercial solid waste facility an emergency certificate of need to increase the maximum monthly solid waste disposal tonnage for a period not to exceed one year, to the extent deemed necessary to prevent any disruption of solid waste disposal services in any county or wasteshed of the state resulting from the closure of an existing landfill in said county or wasteshed: Provided, That the commission is not required to make any determination of need, necessity or reasonableness when acting on any application filed pursuant to this article regarding an existing commercial solid waste disposal facility, which is owned or operated by a county government or by an agency, board or entity thereof, and which has previously been denied a certificate of need prior to the effective date of this section. The authority granted to the commission under this section shall expire after September 30, 1993. No temporary certificate issued pursuant to this section shall extend beyond September 30, 1994. The director of the Division of Environmental Protection shall modify any commercial solid waste facility permit, issued under article five-f, chapter twenty of this code, to conform with the maximum monthly solid waste disposal tonnage and any other terms and conditions set forth in a temporary certificate issued under this section.
(b) If the net tonnage increase under a temporary certificate application made pursuant to subsection (a) of this section would cause the gross monthly solid waste disposal tonnage of such facility to exceed ten thousand tons, a temporary certificate shall be issued only if the solid waste facility has: (1) Obtained from the county or regional solid waste authority for the county or counties in which the facility is located a certificate of site approval or approval for conversion from a Class B facility to a Class A facility; and (2) obtained from the county or regional solid waste authority for the county or counties in which the facility is located approval to increase the maximum monthly tonnage disposed at the facility; and (3) obtained from the county commission for the county or counties in which the landfill is located approval to operate as a Class A facility; and (4) has a certificate of need application pending before the Public Service Commission; and (5) has installed a composite liner system in compliance with the requirements set forth in the solid waste management rules promulgated by the Division of Environmental Protection or its predecessor. Such emergency certificate shall not authorize an increase in the maximum monthly solid waste disposal tonnage in an amount greater than that approved by the county or regional solid waste authority for the county or counties in which the landfill is located.