SB-0560, As Passed Senate, June 18, 2003                                    

SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 560

                                                                             A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled                                             

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"                       

by amending section 3101 (MCL 324.3101), as amended by 2001 PA              

114, and by adding sections 3122, 3123, and 3124.                           

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

1       Sec. 3101.  As used in this part:                                           

2       (a) "Aquatic nuisance species" means a nonindigenous species                

3   that threatens the diversity or abundance of native species or              

4   the ecological stability of infested waters, or commercial,                 

5   agricultural, aquacultural, or recreational activities dependent            

6   on such waters.                                                             

7       (b) "Ballast water" means water and associated solids taken                 

8   on board a vessel to control or maintain trim, draft, stability,            

9   or stresses on the vessel, without regard to the manner in which            

10  it is carried.                                                              

1       (c) "Ballast water treatment method" means a method of                      

2   treating ballast water and sediments to remove or destroy living            

3   biological organisms through 1 or more of the following:                    

4                                                                                (i) Filtration.                                                                     

5       (ii) The application of biocides or ultraviolet light.                       

6       (iii) Thermal methods.                                                       

7       (iv) Other treatment techniques approved by the department.                  

8       (d) "Department" means the department of environmental                      

9   quality.                                                                    

10      (e) "Detroit consumer price index" means the most                           

11  comprehensive index of consumer prices available for the Detroit

12  area from the United States department of labor, bureau of labor            

13  statistics.                                                                 

14      (f) "Great Lakes" means the Great Lakes and their connecting                

15  waters, including lake Lake St. Clair.                                    

16  (g) "Group 1 facility" means a facility whose discharge is                  

17  described by R 323.2218 of the Michigan administrative code.                

18      (h) "Group 2 facility" means a facility whose discharge is                  

19  described by R 323.2210(y), 323.2215, or 323.2216 of the Michigan

20  administrative code.                                                        

21      (i) "Group 3 facility" means a facility whose discharge is                  

22  described by R 323.2211 or 323.2213 of the Michigan

23  administrative code.

24  (j)  (g)  "Local unit" means a county, city, village, or                    

25  township or an agency or instrumentality of any of these                    

26  entities.                                                                   

27  (k)  (h)  "Municipality" means this state, a county, city,                  

1   village, or township, or an agency or instrumentality of any of             

2   these entities.                                                             

3   (l)  (i)  "Nonoceangoing vessel" means a vessel that is not                          

4   an oceangoing vessel.                                                       

5   (m)  (j)  "Oceangoing vessel" means a vessel that operates on               

6   the Great Lakes or the St. Lawrence waterway after operating in             

7   waters outside of the Great Lakes or the St. Lawrence waterway.             

8   (n)  (k)  "Sediments" means any matter settled out of ballast               

9   water within a vessel.                                                      

10  (o)  (l)  "Sewage sludge" means sewage sludge generated in                  

11  the treatment of domestic sewage, other than only septage or                

12  industrial waste.                                                           

13  (p)  (m)  "Sewage sludge derivative" means a product for land               

14  application derived from sewage sludge that does not include                

15  solid waste or other waste regulated under this act.                        

16  (q)  (n)  "Sewage sludge generator" means a person who                      

17  generates sewage sludge that is applied to land.                            

18  (r)  (o)  "Sewage sludge distributor" means a person who                    

19  applies, markets, or distributes, except at retail, a sewage                

20  sludge derivative.                                                          

21  (s)  (p)  "St. Lawrence waterway" means the St. Lawrence                    

22  river, the St. Lawrence seaway, and the gulf of St. Lawrence.               

23  (t)  (q)  "Waters of the state" means groundwaters, lakes,                  

24  rivers, and streams and all other watercourses and waters,                  

25  including the Great Lakes, within the jurisdiction of this                  

26  state.                                                                      

27  Sec. 3122.  (1) Until October 1, 2007, the department may                   

1   levy and collect an annual groundwater discharge permit fee from            

2   facilities that discharge wastewater to the ground or groundwater           

3   of this state pursuant to section 3112.  The fee shall be as                

4   follows:                                                                    

5       (a) For a group 1 facility, $3,650.00.                                      

6       (b) For a group 2 facility, $1,500.00.                                      

7       (c) For a group 3 facility, $200.00.                                        

8       (2) Within 180 days after receipt of a complete application,                

9   the department shall either grant or deny a permit, unless the              

10  applicant and the department agree to extend this time period.              

11  If the department grants a permit after the 180-day period or the           

12  agreed-upon extended time period, the permit fee shall be reduced           

13  1% for every day after that period until and including the day on           

14  which the permit is granted.  This subsection applies to permit             

15  applications received beginning October 1, 2005.                            

16      (3) If the person required to pay the annual groundwater                    

17  discharge permit fee under subsection (1) is a municipality, the            

18  municipality may pass on the annual groundwater discharge permit            

19  fee to each user of the municipal facility.                                 

20      Sec. 3123.  (1) The department shall send invoices for the                  

21  groundwater discharge permit fees under section 3122 to all                 

22  permit holders by January 15 of each year.  Fees will be charged            

23  for all facilities authorized as of December 15 of each calendar            

24  year.  Payment shall be postmarked no later than March 1 of each            

25  year.  The department shall forward money collected pursuant to             

26  this section to the state treasurer for deposit into the                    

27  groundwater discharge permit fund established under section                 

1   3124.                                                                       

2   (2) The department shall assess a penalty on all fee payments               

3   submitted under this section after the due date.  The penalty               

4   shall be an amount equal to 0.75% of the payment due for each               

5   month or portion of a month the payment remains past due.                   

6   Failure to timely pay a fee imposed by this section is a                    

7   violation of this part and is cause for revocation of a permit              

8   issued under this part and may subject the discharger to                    

9   additional penalties pursuant to section 3115.                              

10      (3) The attorney general may bring an action for the                        

11  collection of the groundwater discharge permit fees imposed under           

12  this section.                                                               

13      Sec. 3124.  (1) The groundwater discharge permit fund is                    

14  created within the state treasury.  The state treasurer may                 

15  receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into              

16  the groundwater discharge permit fund.  The state treasurer shall           

17  direct the investment of the groundwater discharge permit fund.             

18      (2) Money in the groundwater discharge permit fund at the                   

19  close of the fiscal year shall remain in the groundwater                    

20  discharge permit fund and shall not lapse to the general fund.              

21      (3) The state treasurer shall credit to the groundwater                     

22  discharge permit fund the interest and earnings from groundwater            

23  discharge permit fund investments.                                          

24      (4) The department shall expend money from the groundwater                  

25  discharge permit fund, upon appropriation, only to implement the            

26  department's groundwater discharge program under this part.                 

27      (5) By March 1 annually, the department shall prepare and                   

1   submit to the governor, the legislature, the chair of the                   

2   standing committees of the senate and house of representatives              

3   with primary responsibility for issues related to natural                   

4   resources and the environment, and the chairs of the                        

5   subcommittees of the senate and house appropriations committees             

6   with primary responsibility for appropriations to the department            

7   a report that details the activities during the previous fiscal             

8   year in administering the department's groundwater discharge                

9   program that were funded by the groundwater discharge permit                

10  fund.  This report shall include, at a minimum, all of the                  

11  following as they relate to the department:                                 

12      (a) The number of full-time equated positions performing                    

13  groundwater permitting, compliance, and enforcement activities.             

14      (b) The number of applications received by the department,                  

15  reported as the number of applications determined to be                     

16  administratively incomplete and the number determined to be                 

17  administratively complete.                                                  

18      (c) The number of applications for groundwater permits                      

19  determined to be administratively complete for which a final                

20  action was taken by the department.  The number of final actions            

21  shall be reported as the number of applications approved, the               

22  number of applications denied, and the number of applications               

23  withdrawn by the applicant.                                                 

24      (d) The percentage and number of applications determined to                 

25  be administratively complete for which a final decision was made            

26  within the statutory time frame.                                            

27      (e) The number of inspections conducted at groundwater                      

1   facilities.                                                                 

2       (f) The number of violation letters sent.                                   

3       (g) The number of contested case hearings and civil actions                 

4   initiated and completed, the number of voluntary consent orders             

5   and administrative orders entered or issued, and the amount of              

6   fines and penalties collected through such actions or orders.               

7       (h) For each enforcement action that includes a penalty, a                  

8   description of what corrective actions were required by the                 

9   enforcement action.                                                         

10      (i) The number of groundwater complaints received,                          

11  investigated, resolved, and not resolved by the department.                 

12      (j) The amount of revenue in the groundwater discharge permit               

13  fund at the end of the fiscal year.

14      Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act takes effect                       

15  October 1, 2003.