00 Enrolled HB 149                                                                                                         
01 Relating to the authority of the Department of Environmental Conservation to require certain                            
02 monitoring, sampling, and reporting and to require permits for certain discharges of                                    
03 pollutants; relating to criminal penalties for violations of the permit program; and providing                          
04 for an effective date.                                                                                                  
05                           _______________                                                                               
06    * Section 1. AS 46.03.020 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read:                                            
07                 (13)  require the owner or operator of a facility to undertake                                          
08       monitoring, sampling, and reporting activities described in 33 U.S.C. 1318 (sec. 308,                             
09       Clean Water Act).                                                                                                 
10    * Sec. 2. AS 46.03.100(a) is amended to read:                                                                      
11            (a)  A person may not construct, modify, or operate a sewerage system or                                     
12       treatment works or take any action [DISPOSE OF OR CONDUCT AN                                                  
13       OPERATION] that results in the disposal or discharge of solid or liquid waste                                 
14       material or heated process or cooling water into the waters or onto the land of the state                         
01       without prior authorization from the department. [DEPARTMENT                                                      
02       AUTHORIZATION SHALL BE OBTAINED FOR DIRECT DISPOSAL AND FOR                                                       
03       DISPOSAL, OTHER THAN OF DOMESTIC SEWAGE, INTO PUBLICLY                                                            
04       OWNED OR OPERATED SEWERAGE SYSTEMS.]                                                                              
05    * Sec. 3. AS 46.03.100(b) is amended to read:                                                                      
06            (b)  Prior authorization may be provided by the department, in its discretion,                       
07       [IS PROVIDED] through one or a combination of the following:                                                      
08                 (1)  an individual permit issued for a specific facility or disposal                                    
09       activity;                                                                                                         
10                 (2)  a general permit issued on a statewide, regional, or other                                         
11       geographical basis for a category of disposal activities that the commissioner, using                             
12       information available when the permit is developed, determines are similar in nature                              
13       and will comply with applicable environmental quality standards established under                                 
14       this title;                                                                                                       
15                 (3)  regulations adopted by the department authorizing a category of                                    
16       disposal without requiring a permit and establishing specific siting or operational                               
17       requirements, discharge limits, or best management practices for the disposal                                     
18       category;                                                                                                         
19                 (4)  designation and approval of a plan as described under (c) of this                                  
20       section;                                                                                                          
21                 (5)  an integrated waste management and disposal authorization as                                       
22       described in (d) of this section.                                                                                 
23    * Sec. 4. AS 46.03.100(e) is amended to read:                                                                      
24            (e)  This section does not apply to                                                                          
25                 (1)  a person discharging only domestic sewage into a publicly owned                                
26       treatment works [SEWERAGE SYSTEM];                                                                            
27                 (2)  disposals subject to regulation under AS 31.05.030(e)(2);                                          
28                 (3)  injection projects permitted under AS 31.05.030(h);                                                
29                 (4)  discharges of solid or liquid waste material or water discharges                                   
30       from the following activities if the discharge is incidental to the activity and the                              
31       activity does not produce a discharge from a point source, as that term is defined in                             
01       regulations adopted under this chapter, [DIRECTLY] into any waters [SURFACE                                   
02       WATER] of the United States [STATE]:                                                                          
03                      (A)  mineral drilling, trenching, ditching, and similar activities;                                
04                      (B)  landscaping;                                                                                  
05                      (C)  water well drilling and geophysical drilling; or                                              
06                      (D)  drilling, ditching, trenching, and similar activities                                         
07            associated with facility construction and maintenance or with road or other                                  
08            transportation facility construction and maintenance; however, the exemption                                 
09            provided by this subparagraph does not relieve a person from obtaining a prior                               
10            authorization under this section if the drilling, ditching, trenching, or similar                            
11            activity will involve the removal of the groundwater, stormwater, or                                         
12            wastewater runoff that has accumulated and is present at an excavation site for                              
13            facility, road, or other transportation construction or maintenance and a prior                              
14            authorization is otherwise required by this section;                                                         
15                 (5)  bilge pumping, unless the bilge product pumped may be expected                                     
16       to yield an oily sludge, emulsion, or sheen on the surface of any water of the state;                             
17                 (6)  cooling water discharges from a boat or vessel into any surface                                    
18       water of the state; or                                                                                            
19                 (7)  the firing or other use of munitions in training activities conducted                              
20       on active ranges, including active ranges operated by the United States Department of                             
21       Defense or a United States military agency, unless it results in a discharge into                             
22       waters of the United States.                                                                                  
23    * Sec. 5. AS 46.03.100(h) is amended to read:                                                                      
24            (h)  The program developed to issue permits by the department to authorize                                   
25       discharge of pollutants into surface waters and submitted to the United States                                    
26       Environmental Protection Agency for approval under 33 U.S.C. 1342 (sec. 402, Clean                                
27       Water Act) shall include the monitoring and reporting requirements included in the                                
28       permits, limited to those requirements authorized [MANDATED] by law, including                                
29       33 U.S.C. 1318 (sec. 308, Clean Water Act), and any legal settlements, and those                              
30       necessary to ascertain compliance with the effluent limitations contained in the permit                           
31       and with state water quality standards.                                                                           
01    * Sec. 6. AS 46.03.100 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
02            (m)  For purposes of the permit program authorized by the United States                                      
03       Environmental Protection Agency under 33 U.S.C. 1342 (sec. 402, Clean Water Act),                                 
04       "waste material" includes pollutants, as defined in 33 U.S.C. 1362(6) (sec. 502(6),                               
05       Clean Water Act).                                                                                                 
06    * Sec. 7. AS 46.03.110 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
07            (f)  The standards for determining waste material in AS 46.03.100(m) apply to                                
08       this section.                                                                                                     
09    * Sec. 8. AS 46.03.790 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
10            (i)  Notwithstanding (a) and (d) of this section, a person is guilty of a class A                            
11       misdemeanor if the person negligently                                                                             
12                 (1)  violates a regulation adopted by the department under                                              
13       AS 46.03.020(12);                                                                                                 
14                 (2)  violates a permit issued under the program authorized by                                           
15       AS 46.03.020(12);                                                                                                 
16                 (3)  fails to provide information or provides false information required                                
17       by a regulation adopted under AS 46.03.020(12);                                                                   
18                 (4)  makes a false statement, representation, or certification in an                                    
19       application, notice, record, report, permit, or other document filed, maintained, or used                         
20       for purposes of compliance with a permit issued under or a regulation adopted under                               
21       AS 46.03.020(12); or                                                                                              
22                 (5)  renders inaccurate a monitoring device or method required to be                                    
23       maintained by a permit issued under or a regulation adopted under AS 46.03.020(12).                               
24    * Sec. 9. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).