Bill Text: MI SB1346 | 2009-2010 | 95th Legislature | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Environmental protection; cleanups; part 201 modifications; provide for. Amends secs. 20101, 20104 & 20104a of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.20101 et seq.). TIE BAR WITH: HB 6359'10, HB 6360'10, HB 6363'10, SB 1345'10, SB 1348'10

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-12-29 - Assigned Pa 0229'10 With Immediate Effect [SB1346 Detail]

Download: Michigan-2009-SB1346-Engrossed.html

SB-1346, As Passed House, December 1, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUBSTITUTE FOR

 

SENATE BILL NO. 1346

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending sections 20101, 20104, and 20104a (MCL 324.20101,

 

324.20104, and 324.20104a), section 20101 as amended and section

 

20104a as added by 1996 PA 383 and section 20104 as amended by 1995

 

PA 71.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 20101. (1) As used in this part:

 

     (a) "Act of God" means an unanticipated grave natural disaster

 

or other natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable, and

 

irresistible character, the effects of which could not have been

 

prevented or avoided by the exercise of due care or foresight.

 


     (b) "Agricultural property" means real property used for

 

farming in any of its branches, including cultivating of soil;

 

growing and harvesting of any agricultural, horticultural, or

 

floricultural commodity; dairying; raising of livestock, bees,

 

fish, fur-bearing animals, or poultry; turf and tree farming; and

 

performing any practices on a farm as an incident to, or in

 

conjunction with, these farming operations. Agricultural property

 

does not include property used for commercial storage, processing,

 

distribution, marketing, or shipping operations.

 

     (c) "All appropriate inquiry" means an evaluation of

 

environmental conditions at a property at the time of purchase,

 

occupancy, or foreclosure that reasonably defines the existing

 

conditions and circumstances at the property in conformance with 40

 

CFR 312.

 

     (d) (c) "Attorney general" means the department of the

 

attorney general.

 

     (e) "Background concentration" means the concentration or

 

level of a hazardous substance that exists in the environment at or

 

regionally proximate to a facility that is not attributable to any

 

release at or regionally proximate to the facility.

 

     (f) (d) "Baseline environmental assessment" means an

 

evaluation of environmental conditions which exist at a facility at

 

the time of purchase, occupancy, or foreclosure that reasonably

 

defines the existing conditions and circumstance at the facility so

 

that, in the event of a subsequent release, there is a means of

 

distinguishing the new release from existing contamination. a

 

written document that describes the results of an all appropriate

 


inquiry and the sampling and analysis that confirm that the

 

property is a facility. However, for purposes of a baseline

 

environmental assessment, the all appropriate inquiry under 40 CFR

 

312.20(a) may be conducted within 45 days after the date of

 

acquisition of a property and the components of an all appropriate

 

inquiry under 40 CFR 312.20(b) and 40 CFR 312.20(c)(3) may be

 

conducted or updated within 45 days after the date of acquisition

 

of a property.

 

     (g) (e) "Board" means the brownfield redevelopment board

 

created in section 20104a.

 

     (h) "Cleanup criteria for unrestricted residential use" means

 

either of the following:

 

     (i) Cleanup criteria that satisfy the requirements for the

 

residential category in section 20120a(1)(a) or (16).

 

     (ii) Cleanup criteria for unrestricted residential use under

 

part 213.

 

     (i) (f) "Department" means the director of the department of

 

environmental quality natural resources and environment or his or

 

her designee to whom the director delegates a power or duty by

 

written instrument.

 

     (j) (g) "Director" means the director of the department of

 

environmental quality natural resources and environment.

 

     (k) (h) "Directors" means the directors or their designees of

 

the departments of environmental quality natural resources and

 

environment, community health, agriculture, and state police.

 

     (l) (i) "Disposal" means the discharge, deposit, injection,

 

dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any hazardous substance

 


into or on any land or water so that the hazardous substance or any

 

constituent of the hazardous substance may enter the environment or

 

be emitted into the air or discharged into any groundwater or

 

surface water.

 

     (m) (j) "Enforcement costs" means court expenses, reasonable

 

attorney fees of the attorney general, and other reasonable

 

expenses of an executive department that are incurred in relation

 

to enforcement under this part. or rules promulgated under this

 

part, or both.

 

     (n) (k) "Environment" or "natural resources" means land,

 

surface water, groundwater, subsurface, strata, air, fish,

 

wildlife, or biota within the state.

 

     (o) (l) "Environmental contamination" means the release of a

 

hazardous substance, or the potential release of a discarded

 

hazardous substance, in a quantity which is or may become injurious

 

to the environment or to the public health, safety, or welfare.

 

     (p) (m) "Evaluation" means those activities including, but not

 

limited to, investigation, studies, sampling, analysis, development

 

of feasibility studies, and administrative efforts that are needed

 

to determine the nature, extent, and impact of a release or threat

 

of release and necessary response activities.

 

     (q) (n) "Exacerbation" means the occurrence of either of the

 

following caused by an activity undertaken by the person who owns

 

or operates the property, with respect to existing contamination

 

for which the person is not liable:

 

     (i) Contamination that has migrated beyond the boundaries of

 

the property which is the source of the release at levels above

 


cleanup criteria specified in section 20120a(1)(a) for unrestricted

 

residential use unless a criterion is not relevant because exposure

 

is reliably restricted pursuant to section 20120b as otherwise

 

provided in this part.

 

     (ii) A change in facility conditions that increases response

 

activity costs.

 

     (o) "Facility" means any area, place, or property where a

 

hazardous substance in excess of the concentrations which satisfy

 

the requirements of section 20120a(1)(a) or (17) or the cleanup

 

criteria for unrestricted residential use under part 213 has been

 

released, deposited, disposed of, or otherwise comes to be located.

 

Facility does not include any area, place, or property at which

 

response activities have been completed which satisfy the cleanup

 

criteria for the residential category provided for in section

 

20120a(1)(a) and (17) or at which corrective action has been

 

completed under part 213 which satisfies the cleanup criteria for

 

unrestricted residential use.

 

     (r) "Facility" means any area, place, or property where a

 

hazardous substance in excess of the concentrations that satisfy

 

the cleanup criteria for unrestricted residential use has been

 

released, deposited, disposed of, or otherwise comes to be located.

 

Facility does not include any area, place, or property where any of

 

the following conditions are satisfied:

 

     (i) Response activities have been completed under this part

 

that satisfy the cleanup criteria for unrestricted residential use.

 

     (ii) Corrective action has been completed under part 213 that

 

satisfies the cleanup criteria for unrestricted residential use.

 


     (iii) Site-specific criteria that have been approved by the

 

department for application at the area, place, or property are met

 

or satisfied and both of the following conditions are met:

 

     (A) The site-specific criteria do not depend on any land use

 

or resource use restriction to ensure protection of the public

 

health, safety, or welfare or the environment.

 

     (B) Hazardous substances at the area, place, or property that

 

are not addressed by site-specific criteria satisfy the cleanup

 

criteria for unrestricted residential use.

 

     (s) (p) "Feasibility study" means a process for developing,

 

evaluating, and selecting appropriate response activities.

 

     (t) "Financial assurance" means a performance bond, escrow,

 

cash, certificate of deposit, irrevocable letter of credit,

 

corporate guarantee, or other equivalent security, or any

 

combination thereof.

 

     (u) (q) "Foreclosure" means possession of a property by a

 

lender on which it has foreclosed on a security interest or the

 

expiration of a lawful redemption period, whichever occurs first.

 

     (v) (r) "Free product" means a hazardous substance in a liquid

 

phase equal to or greater than 1/8 inch of measurable thickness

 

that is not dissolved in water and that has been released into the

 

environment.

 

     (w) (s) "Fund" means the cleanup and redevelopment fund

 

established in section 20108.

 

     (x) (t) "Hazardous substance" means 1 or more of the

 

following, but does not include fruit, vegetable, or field crop

 

residuals or processing by-products, or aquatic plants, that are

 


applied to the land for an agricultural use or for use as an animal

 

feed, if the use is consistent with generally accepted agricultural

 

management practices developed pursuant to the Michigan right to

 

farm act, Act No. 93 of the Public Acts of 1981, being sections

 

286.471 to 286.474 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1981 PA 93, MCL

 

286.471 to 286.474:

 

     (i) Any substance that the department demonstrates, on a case

 

by case basis, poses an unacceptable risk to the public health,

 

safety, or welfare, or the environment, considering the fate of the

 

material, dose-response, toxicity, or adverse impact on natural

 

resources.

 

     (ii) Hazardous substance as defined in the comprehensive

 

environmental response, compensation, and liability act, of 1980,

 

Public Law 96-510, 94 Stat. 2767 42 USC 9601 to 9675.

 

     (iii) Hazardous waste as defined in part 111.

 

     (iv) Petroleum as described in part 213.

 

     (y) (u) "Interim response activity" means the cleanup or

 

removal of a released hazardous substance or the taking of other

 

actions, prior to the implementation of a remedial action, as may

 

be necessary to prevent, minimize, or mitigate injury to the public

 

health, safety, or welfare, or to the environment. Interim response

 

activity also includes, but is not limited to, measures to limit

 

access, replacement of water supplies, and temporary relocation of

 

people as determined to be necessary by the department. In

 

addition, interim response activity means the taking of other

 

actions as may be necessary to prevent, minimize, or mitigate a

 

threatened release.

 


     (z) (v) "Lender" means any of the following:

 

     (i) A state or nationally chartered bank.

 

     (ii) A state or federally chartered savings and loan

 

association or savings bank.

 

     (iii) A state or federally chartered credit union.

 

     (iv) Any other state or federally chartered lending institution

 

or regulated affiliate or regulated subsidiary of any entity listed

 

in this subparagraph or subparagraphs (i) to (iii).

 

     (v) An insurance company authorized to do business in this

 

state pursuant to the insurance code of 1956, Act No. 218 of the

 

Public Acts of 1956, being sections 500.100 to 500.8302 of the

 

Michigan Compiled Laws 1956 PA 218, MCL 500.100 to 500.8302.

 

     (vi) A motor vehicle finance company subject to the motor

 

vehicle finance act, Act No. 27 of the Extra Session of 1950 ,

 

being sections 492.101 to 492.141 of the Michigan Compiled Laws

 

1950 (Ex Sess) PA 27, MCL 492.101 to 492.141, with net assets in

 

excess of $50,000,000.00.

 

     (vii) A foreign bank.

 

     (viii) A retirement fund regulated pursuant to state law or a

 

pension fund regulated pursuant to federal law with net assets in

 

excess of $50,000,000.00.

 

     (ix) A state or federal agency authorized by law to hold a

 

security interest in real property or a local unit of government

 

holding a reversionary interest in real property.

 

     (x) A nonprofit tax exempt organization created to promote

 

economic development in which a majority of the organization's

 

assets are held by a local unit of government.

 


     (xi) Any other person who loans money for the purchase of or

 

improvement of real property.

 

     (xii) Any person who retains or receives a security interest to

 

service a debt or to secure a performance obligation.

 

     (aa) (w) "Local health department" means that term as defined

 

in section 1105 of the public health code, Act No. 368 of the

 

Public Acts of 1978, being section 333.1105 of the Michigan

 

Compiled Laws 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.1105.

 

     (bb) (x) "Local unit of government" means a county, city,

 

township, or village, an agency of a local unit of government, an

 

authority or any other public body or entity created by or pursuant

 

to state law. Local unit of government does not include the state

 

or federal government or a state or federal agency.

 

     (cc) "Method detection limit" means the minimum concentration

 

of a hazardous substance which can be measured and reported with

 

99% confidence that the analyte concentration is greater than zero

 

and is determined from analysis of a sample in a given matrix that

 

contains the analyte.

 

     (dd) "No further action letter" means a written response

 

provided by the department under section 20114d confirming that a

 

no further action report has been approved after review by the

 

department.

 

     (ee) "No further action report" means a report under section

 

20114d detailing the completion of remedial actions and including a

 

postclosure plan and a postclosure agreement, if appropriate.

 

     (ff) (y) "Operator" means a person who is in control of or

 

responsible for the operation of a facility. Operator does not

 


include either of the following:

 

     (i) A person who holds indicia of ownership primarily to

 

protect the person's security interest in the facility, unless that

 

person participates in the management of the facility as described

 

in section 20101a.

 

     (ii) A person who is acting as a fiduciary in compliance with

 

section 20101b.

 

     (gg) (z) "Owner" means a person who owns a facility. Owner

 

does not include either of the following:

 

     (i) A person who holds indicia of ownership primarily to

 

protect the person's security interest in the facility, including,

 

but not limited to, a vendor's interest under a recorded land

 

contract, unless that person participates in the management of the

 

facility as described in section 20101a.

 

     (ii) A person who is acting as a fiduciary in compliance with

 

section 20101b.

 

     (hh) "Panel" means the response activity review panel created

 

in section 20114e.

 

     (ii) (aa) "Permitted release" means 1 or more of the

 

following:

 

     (i) A release in compliance with an applicable, legally

 

enforceable permit issued under state law.

 

     (ii) A lawful and authorized discharge into a permitted waste

 

treatment facility.

 

     (iii) A federally permitted release as defined in the

 

comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability

 

act, of 1980, Public Law 96-510, 94 Stat. 2767 42 USC 9601 to 9675.

 


     (jj) "Postclosure agreement" means an agreement between the

 

department and a person who has submitted a no further action

 

report that prescribes, as appropriate, activities required to be

 

undertaken upon completion of remedial actions as provided for in

 

section 20114d.

 

     (kk) "Postclosure plan" means a plan for land use or resource

 

use restrictions or permanent markers at a facility upon completion

 

of remedial actions as required under section 20114c.

 

     (ll) (bb) "Release" includes, but is not limited to, any

 

spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying,

 

discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing

 

of a hazardous substance into the environment, or the abandonment

 

or discarding of barrels, containers, and other closed receptacles

 

containing a hazardous substance. Release does not include any of

 

the following:

 

     (i) A release that results in exposure to persons solely within

 

a workplace, with respect to a claim that these persons may assert

 

against their employers.

 

     (ii) Emissions from the engine exhaust of a motor vehicle,

 

rolling stock, aircraft, or vessel.

 

     (iii) A release of source, by-product, or special nuclear

 

material from a nuclear incident, as those terms are defined in the

 

atomic energy act of 1954, chapter 1073, 68 Stat. 919, 42 USC 2011

 

to 2297h-13, if the release is subject to requirements with respect

 

to financial protection established by the nuclear regulatory

 

commission under section 170 of chapter 14 of title I of the atomic

 

energy act of 1954, chapter 1073, 71 Stat. 576, 42 U.S.C. USC 2210,

 


or any release of source by-product or special nuclear material

 

from any processing site designated under section 102(a)(1) of

 

title I or 302(a) of title III of the uranium mill tailings

 

radiation control act of 1978, Public Law 95-604, 42 U.S.C. 7912

 

and 7942 USC 7912(a)(1) or 42 USC 7942(a).

 

     (iv) If applied according to label directions and according to

 

generally accepted agricultural and management practices, the

 

application of a fertilizer, soil conditioner, agronomically

 

applied manure, or pesticide, or fruit, vegetable, or field crop

 

residuals or processing by-products, aquatic plants, or a

 

combination of these substances. As used in this subparagraph,

 

fertilizer and soil conditioner have the meaning given to these

 

terms in part 85, and pesticide has the meaning given to that term

 

in part 83.

 

     (v) A release does not include fruits, vegetables, field crop

 

processing by-products, or aquatic plants, that are applied to the

 

land for an agricultural use or for use as an animal feed, if the

 

use is consistent with generally accepted agricultural and

 

management practices developed pursuant to the Michigan right to

 

farm act, Act No. 93 of the Public Acts of 1981, being sections

 

286.471 to 286.474 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1981 PA 93, MCL

 

286.471 to 286.474.

 

     (mm) (cc) "Remedial action" includes, but is not limited to,

 

cleanup, removal, containment, isolation, destruction, or treatment

 

of a hazardous substance released or threatened to be released into

 

the environment, monitoring, maintenance, or the taking of other

 

actions that may be necessary to prevent, minimize, or mitigate

 


injury to the public health, safety, or welfare, or to the

 

environment.

 

     (nn) (dd) "Remedial action plan" means a work plan for

 

performing remedial action under this part.

 

     (oo) "Residential closure" means a facility at which the

 

contamination has been addressed in a no further action report that

 

satisfies the limited residential cleanup criteria under section

 

20120a(1)(c) or the site-specific residential cleanup criteria

 

under sections 20120a(2) and 20120b, that contains land use or

 

resource use restrictions, and that is approved by the department

 

or is considered approved by the department under section 20120d.

 

     (pp) (ee) "Response activity" means evaluation, interim

 

response activity, remedial action, demolition, or the taking of

 

other actions necessary to protect the public health, safety, or

 

welfare, or the environment or the natural resources. Response

 

activity also includes health assessments or health effect studies

 

carried out under the supervision, or with the approval of, the

 

department of public community health and enforcement actions

 

related to any response activity.

 

     (qq) (ff) "Response activity costs" or "costs of response

 

activity" means all costs incurred in taking or conducting a

 

response activity, including enforcement costs.

 

     (rr) "Response activity plan" means a plan for undertaking

 

response activities. A response activity plan may include 1 or more

 

of the following:

 

     (i) A plan to undertake interim response activities.

 

     (ii) A plan for evaluation activities.

 


     (iii) A feasibility study.

 

     (iv) A remedial action plan.

 

     (ss) (gg) "Security interest" means any interest, including a

 

reversionary interest, in real property created or established for

 

the purpose of securing a loan or other obligation. Security

 

interests include, but are not limited to, mortgages, deeds of

 

trusts, liens, and title pursuant to lease financing transactions.

 

Security interests may also arise from transactions such as sale

 

and leasebacks, conditional sales, installment sales, trust receipt

 

transactions, certain assignments, factoring agreements, accounts

 

receivable financing arrangements, consignments, or any other

 

transaction in which evidence of title is created if the

 

transaction creates or establishes an interest in real property for

 

the purpose of securing a loan or other obligation.

 

     (hh) "Site" means the location of environmental contamination.

 

     (tt) "Target detection limit" means the detection limit for a 
 
hazardous substance in a given environmental medium that is 
 
specified by the department on a list that it publishes not more 
 
than once a year. The department shall identify 1 or more 
 
analytical methods, when a method is available, that are judged to 
 
be capable of achieving the target detection limit for a hazardous 
 
substance in a given environmental medium. The target detection 
 
limit for a given hazardous substance is greater than or equal to 
 
the method detection limit for that hazardous substance. In 
 
establishing a target detection limit, the department shall 
 
consider the following factors:
 
     (i) The low level capabilities of methods published by 
 

government agencies.
 
     (ii) Reported method detection limits published by state 
 
laboratories.
 
     (iii) Reported method detection limits published by commercial 
 
laboratories.
 
     (iv) The need to be able to measure a hazardous substance at 
 
concentrations at or below cleanup criteria.
 

     (uu) (ii) "Threatened release" or "threat of release" means

 

any circumstance that may reasonably be anticipated to cause a

 

release.

 

     (vv) "Venting groundwater" means groundwater that is entering

 

a surface water of the state from a facility.

 

     (2) As used in this part: , the

 

     (a) The phrase "a person who is liable" includes a person who

 

is described as being subject to liability in section 20126. The

 

phrase "a person who is liable" does not presume that liability has

 

been adjudicated.

 

     (b) The phrase "this part" includes "rules promulgated under

 

this part".

 

     Sec. 20104. (1) The department shall coordinate all activities

 

required under this part and shall may promulgate rules to provide

 

for the performance of response activities, to provide for the

 

assessment of damages for injury to, destruction of, or loss of

 

natural resources resulting from a release, and to implement the

 

powers and duties of the department under this part, and as

 

otherwise necessary to carry out the requirements of this part

 

necessary to implement this part.

 


     (2) A guideline, bulletin, interpretive statement, or

 

operational memorandum under this part shall not be given the force

 

and effect of law. A guideline, bulletin, interpretive statement,

 

or operational memorandum under this part is not legally binding on

 

any person.

 

     (3) (2) Claims for natural resource damages may be pursued

 

prior to promulgation of rules but only in accordance with

 

principles of scientific and economic validity and reliability.

 

Contingent nonuse valuation methods or similar nonuse valuation

 

methods shall not be utilized and damages shall not be recovered

 

for nonuse values unless and until rules are promulgated that

 

establish an appropriate means of determining such damages.

 

     (4) (3) A contingent nonuse valuation method or similar nonuse

 

valuation method shall not be utilized for natural resource damage

 

calculations unless a determination is made by the department that

 

such a method satisfies principles of scientific and economic

 

validity and reliability and rules for utilizing a contingent

 

nonuse valuation method or a similar nonuse valuation method are

 

subsequently promulgated.

 

     (5) (4) The provisions in this section related to natural

 

resource damages as added by the 1995 amendatory act that amended

 

this section PA 71 do not apply to any judicial or administrative

 

action or claim in bankruptcy initiated on or before March 1, 1995.

 

     Sec. 20104a. (1) The brownfield redevelopment board is created

 

within the department. of environmental quality.

 

     (2) The board shall consist of the following members:

 

     (a) The director of the department of environmental quality or

 


his or her designee.

 

     (b) The director of the department of technology, management,

 

and budget or his or her designee.

 

     (c) The chief executive officer of the jobs commission

 

Michigan economic development corporation or his or her designee.

 

     (3) A majority of the members of the board constitute a quorum

 

for the transaction of business at a meeting of the board.

 

     (4) The business which the board may perform shall be

 

conducted at a public meeting of the board held in compliance with

 

the open meetings act, Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of 1976,

 

being sections 15.261 to 15.275 of the Michigan Compiled Laws 1976

 

PA 267, MCL 15.261 to 15.275.

 

     (5) A writing prepared, owned, used, in the possession of, or

 

retained by the board in the performance of an official function is

 

subject to the freedom of information act, Act No. 442 of the

 

Public Acts of 1976, being sections 15.231 to 15.246 of the

 

Michigan Compiled Laws 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.

 

     (6) The board shall implement the duties and responsibilities

 

as provided in this part and as otherwise provided by law.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless all of the following bills of the 95th Legislature are

 

enacted into law:

 

     (a) Senate Bill No. 1345.

 

     (b) Senate Bill No. 1348.

 

     (c) House Bill No. 6360.

 

     (d) House Bill No. 6363.

 

     (e)                         House Bill No. 6359.              

 


         

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