2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 22. Environmental Resources › Article 18. Hazardous Waste Management Act › §22-18-16. Criminal Penalties

(a) Any person who knowingly: (1) Transports any hazardous waste identified or listed under this article to a facility which does not have a permit required by this article, Section 3005 of the Federal Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended, the laws of any other state which has an authorized hazardous waste program pursuant to Section 3006 of the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended, or Title I of the federal Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act; (2) treats, stores or disposes of any such hazardous waste either: (A) Without having obtained a permit required by this article, or by Title I of the federal Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, or by Section 3005 or 3006 of the federal Solid Waste Disposal Act, as amended; or (B) in knowing violation of a material condition or requirement of such permit, is guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not to exceed $50,000 for each day of violation or confined in the penitentiary not less than one nor more than two years, or both such fine and imprisonment or, in the discretion of the court, be confined in jail not more than one year in addition to the above fine.
(b) Any person who knowingly: (1) Makes any false material statement or representation in any application, label, manifest, record, report, permit or other document filed, maintained or used for purposes of compliance with this article; or (2) generates, stores, treats, transports, disposes of or otherwise handles any hazardous waste identified or listed under this article (whether such activity took place before or takes place after the effective date of this article) and who knowingly destroys, alters or conceals any record required to be maintained under rules promulgated by the director pursuant to this article, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not to exceed $25,000, or sentenced to imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year, or both fined and sentenced to imprisonment for each violation.
(c) Any person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, is guilty of a felony, and, upon such conviction, shall be confined in the penitentiary not less than one nor more than three years, or fined not more than $50,000 for each day of violation, or both such fine and imprisonment.
(d) Any person who knowingly transports, treats, stores or disposes of any hazardous waste identified or listed pursuant to this article in violation of subsection (a) of this section, or having applied for a permit pursuant to subdivision (13), subsection (a), section six or sections seven and eight of this article, and knowingly either: (1) Fails to include in a permit application any material information required pursuant to this article, or rules promulgated hereunder; or (2) fails to comply with applicable interim status requirements as provided in section eleven of this article and who thereby exhibits an unjustified and inexcusable disregard for human life or the safety of others and he or she thereby places another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, is guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $250,000 or imprisoned not less than one year nor more than four years or both such fine and imprisonment.
(e) As used in subsection (d) of this section, the term "serious bodily injury" means:
(1) Bodily injury which involves a substantial risk of death;
(2) Unconsciousness;
(3) Extreme physical pain;
(4) Protracted and obvious disfigurement; or
(5) Protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ or mental faculty.