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Introduced Version Senate Bill 428 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
Senate Bill No. 428

(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Sprouse,

By Request of the Executive)

____________

[Introduced March 2, 2005; referred to the Committee

on Natural Resources; then to the Committee on the Judiciary; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

____________



A BILL to repeal §17-24-1, §17-24-2, §17-24-3, §17-24-4, §17-24-5, §17-24-6, §17-24-7, §17-24-8, §17-24-9 and §17-24-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to repeal §20-7-24, §20-7-25, §20-7-26, §20-7-27, §20-7-28 and §20-7-29 of said code; to repeal §20-11-1, §20-11-2, §20-11-3, §20-11-4, §20-11-5, §20-11-6, §20-11-7, §20-11-8, §20-11-9, §20-11-10, §20-11-11 and §20-11-12 of said code; and that said code be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §22-15A-1, §22-15A-2, §22-15A-3, §22-15A-4, §22-15A-5, §22-15A-6, §22- 15A-7, §22-15A-8, §22-15A-9, §22-15A-10, §22-15A-11, §22-15A- 12, §22-15A-13, §22-15A-14, §22-15A-15, §22-15A-16, §22-15A- 17, §22-15A-18, §22-15A-19, §22-15A-20, §22-15A-21, §22-15A- 22, §22-15A-23, §22-15A-24, §22-15A-25 and §22-15A-26, all relating to the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan; consolidating litter control, open dump elimination and reclamation, waste tire cleanup and recycling programs; defining certain terms; providing for litter control and recycling programs; providing additional duties of Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection; providing penalties for the unlawful disposal of litter; providing for litter control education; creating the pollution prevention and open dump program; providing for assistance to solid waste authorities for litter and solid waste plans; prohibiting waste tires in certain places; providing for penalty for violations thereof; providing that the Department of Environmental Protection is to administer funds for waste tire remediation; authorizing the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate rules; providing for the disposal of waste tires; providing for the creation of the A. James Manchin Fund; establishing remediation and liability for remediation; clarifying that Commissioner for Bureau for Public Health has the authority to regulate public health matters; establishing recycling goals and plans; establishing county recycling programs for solid waste; providing for a recycling assessment fee; providing for criminal penalties; establishing state recycling program for solid waste; providing for the procurement of recycled products; prohibiting the disposal of certain items; creating the Recycled Oil Advisory Committee; encouraging newsprint recycling; establishing Recycled Newsprint Advisory Committee; providing for studying the feasibility of recycling industries; and exempting certain recycling facilities from regulation.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §17-24-1, §17-24-2, §17-24-3, §17-24-4, §17-24-5, §17-24-6, §17-24-7, §17-24-8, §17-24-9 and §17-24-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be repealed; that §20-7-24, §20-7-25, §20-7-26, §20-7-27, §20-7-28 and §20-7-29 of said code be repealed; that §20-11-1, §20-11-2, §20-11-3, §20-11-4, §20-11-5, §20-11-6, §20-11-7, §20-11-8, §20-11-9, §20-11-10, §20-11-11 and §20-11-12 of said code be repealed; and that said code be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §22-15A-1, §22-15A-2, §22-15A-3, §22-15A-4, §22-15A-5, §22-15A-6, §22-15A-7, §22-15A-8, §22-15A-9, §22-15A-10, §22-15A-11, §22-15A-12, §22-15A-13, §22-15A-14, §22-15A-15, §22-15A-16, §22-15A-17, §22-15A-18, §22-15A-19, §22-15A-20, §22-15A-21, §22-15A-22, §22-15A-23, §22-15A-24, §22-15A-25 and §22-15A-26, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15A. REHABILITATION ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN.
§22-15A-1. Legislative findings and purpose.

(a) The Legislature finds that litter is a public nuisance and distracts from the beauty of the state and its natural resources. It is therefore necessary to establish and implement a litter control program to coordinate public and private litter control efforts; to establish penalties for littering; to provide for litter pickup programs; to create education programs; and to provide assistance to local solid waste authority litter control efforts.
(b) The Legislature further finds that the improper management of commercial and residential solid waste and the unlawful disposal of such waste creates open dumps that adversely impacts the state's natural resources, public water supplies, and the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the state. It is therefore necessary to establish a program to promote pollution prevention and to eliminate and remediate open dumps.
(c) The Legislature further finds that waste tire piles are a direct product of state citizens use and enjoyment of state roads and highways and proper tire waste disposal is a necessary component of maintenance of the transportation system. The accumulation of waste tires has also become a significant environmental and public health hazard to the state and the location and number of waste tires are directly related to the efficiency of travel, by citizens, visitors and of commerce, along public highways in West Virginia. In particular, the Legislature recognizes that waste tires are widespread in location and in number throughout the state; waste tires physically touch and concern public highways, including, but not limited to, state roads, county roads, park roads, secondary routes and orphan roads, all of which interferes with the efficiency of public highways; and further that the existence of waste tires along and near public highways is sometimes accompanied by other hazards and, in turn, adversely impacts the proper maintenance and efficiency of public highways for citizens.
(d) The Legislature also recognizes and declares that waste tires are a public nuisance and hazard; that waste tires serve as harborage and breeding places for rodents, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and other insects and pests injurious to the public health, safety and general welfare; that waste tires collected in large piles pose an excessive risk to public health, safety and welfare from disease or fire; that the environmental, economic and societal damage resulting from fires in waste tire piles can be avoided by removing the piles; and that tire pile fires cause extensive pollution of the air and surface and ground water for miles downwind and downstream from the fire.
(e) Therefore, in view of the findings relating to waste tires, the Legislature declares it to be the public policy of the State of West Virginia to eliminate the present danger resulting from discarded or abandoned waste tires and to eliminate the visual pollution resulting from waste tire piles, and that in order to provide for the public health, safety and welfare, quality of life, and to reverse the adverse impacts to the proper maintenance and efficiency of public highways, it is necessary to enact legislation to those ends by providing expeditious means and methods for effecting the disposal of waste tires.
(f) The Legislature finds that many citizens desire a recycling program in order to conserve limited natural resources, reduce litter, recycle valuable materials, extend the useful life of solid waste landfills, reduce the need for new landfills, and create markets for recyclable materials. It is therefore necessary to establish goals for recycling solid waste; to require certain municipalities to implement recycling programs; to authorize counties to adopt comprehensive recycling programs; to encourage source separation of solid waste; to increase the purchase of recycled products by the various agencies and instrumentalities of government; and to educate the public concerning the benefits of recycling.
(g)The Legislature finds that the effectiveness of litter control, open dump, tire cleanup programs and recycling programs have been made less efficient by fragmented implementation of the various programs by different agencies. It is therefore, necessary to coordinate all such programs under one program managed by the Department to ensure that all current and future litter, open dump, waste tire and recycling issues are managed and addressed efficiently and effectively.
(h) This article will implement the "Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan," a coordinated effort to address litter, waste, open dump, tire cleanup and recycling programs.
§22-15A-2. Definitions.

Unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning or defined elsewhere in this chapter, as used in this article:
(1) "Beneficial use" means the use or reuse of whole waste tires or tire derived material which are reused in constructing retaining walls, rebuilding highway shoulders and subbase, building highway crash attenuation barriers, feed hopper or watering troughs for livestock, other agricultural uses approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, playground equipment, boat or truck dock construction, house or building construction, go-cart, motorbike or race track barriers, or similar types of beneficial applications: Provided, That waste tires may not be reused as fencing, as erosion control structures, along stream banks or river banks or reused in any manner where human health or the environment, as determined by the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, is put at risk.
(2) "Collected for commercial purposes" means taking solid waste for disposal from any person for remuneration regardless of whether or not the person taking the solid waste is a common carrier by motor vehicle governed by article two, chapter twenty-four-a of this code.
(3) "Court" means any circuit, magistrate or municipal court.
(4) "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection.
(5) "Litter" means all waste material including, but not limited to, any garbage, refuse, trash, disposable package, container, can, bottle, paper, ashes, cigarette or cigar butt, carcass of any dead animal or any part thereof, or any other offensive or unsightly matter, but not including the wastes of primary processes of mining, logging, sawmilling, farming or manufacturing.
(6) "Litter receptacle" means those containers suitable for the depositing of litter at each respective public area designated by the Secretary's rules promulgated pursuant to subsection (c), section three of this article.
(7) "Person" means a natural person, corporation, firm, partnership, association or society, and the plural as well as the singular.
(8) "Public area" means an area outside of a municipality, including public road and highway rights-of-way, parks and recreation areas owned or controlled by this state or any county of this state, or an area held open for unrestricted access by the general public.
(9) "Remediate or Remediation" means to remove all litter, solid waste, and tires located above grade at a site: Provided, That remediation does not include clean up of hazardous waste.
(10) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.
(11) "Waste tire" means any continuous solid or pneumatic rubber covering designed to encircle the wheel of a vehicle but which has been discarded, abandoned or is no longer suitable for its original, intended purpose nor suitable for recapping, or other beneficial use because of wear, damage or defect. A tire is no longer considered to be suitable for its original intended purpose when it fails to meet the minimum requirements to pass a West Virginia motor vehicle safety inspection. Used tires located at a commercial recapping facility or tire dealer for the purpose of being reused or recapped are not waste tires.
(12) "Waste tire monofill or monofill" means an approved solid waste facility where no solid waste except waste tires are placed for the purpose of long term storage for eventual retrieval for marketing purposes.
(13) "Waste tire processing facility" means a solid waste facility or manufacturer that accepts waste tires generated by sources other than the owner or operator of the facility for processing by such means as cryogenics, pyrolysis, pyroprossing cutting, splitting, shredding, quartering, grinding or otherwise breaking down waste tires for the purposes of disposal, reuse, recycling and/or marketing.
(14) "Waters of the state" means generally, without limitation, natural or artificial lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, branches, brooks, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, wells, watercourses and wetlands.
§22-15A-3. West Virginia litter control and recycling programs; additional duties of Secretary; grants to counties and municipalities; and regulations relating thereto.

(a) In addition to all other powers, duties and responsibilities granted and assigned to the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection in this chapter and elsewhere by law, the Secretary, in the administration of the West Virginia litter control program created by this section, shall:
(1) Coordinate all industry and business organizations seeking to aid in the litter control and recycling effort;
(2) Cooperate with all local governments to accomplish coordination of local litter control and recycling efforts;
(3) Encourage, organize, coordinate and increase public awareness of and participation in all voluntary litter control and recycling campaigns, including citizen litter watch programs, seeking to focus the attention of the public on the litter control and recycling programs of the state and local governments and of private recycling centers;
(4) Recommend to local governing bodies that they adopt ordinances similar to the provisions of section four of this article;
(5) Investigate the methods and success of techniques of litter control, removal and disposal utilized in other states, and develop, encourage, organize and coordinate local litter control programs funded by grants awarded pursuant to subsection (b) of this section utilizing such successful techniques;
(6) Investigate the availability of, and apply for, funds available from any and all private or public sources to be used in the litter control program created by this section;
(7) Attract to the state persons or industries that purchase, process or use recyclable materials; and
(8) Contract for the development, production and broadcast of radio and television messages promoting the West Virginia litter control program. The messages should increase public awareness of and promote citizen responsibility toward the reduction of litter.
(b) All authority to promulgate rules pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code establishing criteria for the awarding of direct and/or matching grants for the study of available research and development in the fields of litter control, removal and disposal, methods for the implementation of such research and development, and the development of public educational programs concerning litter control is hereby transferred from the Division of Natural Resources to the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection as of the effective date of enactment of this section and article during the two thousand five session of the Legislature: Provided, That the legislative rule "Awarding of Matching Grants for Local Litter Control Programs, 58 CSR 6" authorized by legislative enactment during the two thousand session of the Legislature and the interpretive rule "Awarding of Matching Grants for Local Litter Control Programs, 58 CSR 7" effective on December 29, 1986 shall remain in force and effect until the Secretary amends the rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(c) All authority to promulgate rules pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code designating public areas where litter receptacles shall be placed and the minimum number of litter receptacles in accordance with subsection (d), section four of this article is hereby transferred from the Division of Natural Resources to the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection as of the effective date of enactment of this section and article during the two thousand five session of the Legislature.
(d) Commencing on the first day of July, two thousand and five, the Secretary shall expend annually at least fifty percent of the moneys credited to the "litter control fund" in the previous fiscal year for matching grants to counties and municipalities for the initiation and administration of litter control programs. The Secretary may promulgate regulations pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code establishing criteria for the awarding of matching grants.
(e) The Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection in Cooperation with the Commissioner of Highways, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Public Safety, the United States Forestry Service, and other local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies, shall be responsible for the administration and enforcement of all laws and regulations relating to the maintenance of cleanliness and improvement of appearances on and along highways, roads, streets, alleys and any other private or public areas of the state and these other agencies shall make recommendations to the Secretary from time to time concerning means and methods of accomplishing litter control consistent with the provisions of this chapter. Such cooperation shall include, but not be limited to, contracts with the Commissioner of Highways to operate the litter control program.
(f) All other state agencies and local governments shall cooperate with the Secretary in effecting the purposes of the litter control program.
§22-15A-4. Unlawful disposal of litter; civil and criminal penalty; litter control fund; evidence; notice violations; litter receptacle placement; penalty; duty to enforce violations.

(a) (1) No person shall place, deposit, dump, throw or cause to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown any litter as defined in section two of this article, in or upon any public or private highway, road, street or alley; any private property; any public property; or the waters of the state or within one hundred feet of the waters of this state, except in a proper litter or other solid waste receptacle.
(2) It is unlawful for any person to place, deposit, dump, throw or cause to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown any litter from a motor vehicle or other conveyance or to perform any act which constitutes a violation of the motor vehicle laws contained in section fourteen, article fourteen, chapter seventeen-c of this code.
(3) If any litter is placed, deposited, dumped, discharged, thrown or caused to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown from a motor vehicle, boat, airplane or other conveyance, it is prima facie evidence that the owner or the operator of the motor vehicle, boat, airplane or other conveyance intended to violate the provisions of this section.
(4) Any person who violates the provisions of this section by placing, depositing, dumping or throwing or causing to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown any litter, not collected for commercial purposes, in an amount not exceeding one hundred pounds in weight or twenty-seven cubic feet in size, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon conviction, he or she is subject to a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or in the discretion of the court, sentenced to perform community service by cleaning up litter from any public highway, road, street, alley or any other public park or public property, or waters of the state, as designated by the court, for not less than eight nor more than sixteen hours, or both.
(5) Any person who violates the provisions of this section by placing, depositing, dumping or throwing or causing to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown any litter, not collected for commercial purposes, in an amount greater than one hundred pounds in weight or twenty-seven cubic feet in size, but less than five hundred pounds in weight or two hundred sixteen cubic feet in size is guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon conviction he or she is subject to a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than two thousand dollars, or in the discretion of the court, may be sentenced to perform community service by cleaning up litter from any public highway, road, street, alley or any other public park or public property, or waters of the state, as designated by the court, for not less than sixteen nor more than thirty-two hours, or both.
(6) Any person who violates the provisions of this section by placing, depositing, dumping or throwing or causing to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown any litter in an amount greater than five hundred pounds in weight or two hundred sixteen cubic feet in size or any amount which had been collected for commercial purposes, is guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon conviction the person is subject to a fine not less than twenty-five hundred dollars or not more than twenty-five thousand dollars, or confinement in a county or regional jail for not more than one year or both. In addition, the violator may be guilty of creating or contributing to an open dump as defined in section two, article fifteen, chapter twenty-two of this code and subject to the enforcement provisions of section fifteen of said article.
(7) Any person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section is subject to double the authorized range of fines and community service for the subsection violated.
(8) The sentence of litter cleanup shall be verified by conservation officers from the Division of Natural Resources or environmental inspectors from the Department of Environmental Protection. Any defendant receiving the sentence of litter cleanup shall provide within a time to be set by the court written acknowledgment from a conservation officer or environmental inspector that the sentence has been completed and the litter has been disposed of lawfully.
(9) Any person who has been found by the court to have willfully failed to comply with the terms of a litter cleanup sentence imposed by the court pursuant to this section is subject to, at the discretion of the court, double the amount of the original fines and community service penalties.
(10) All law-enforcement agencies, officers and environmental inspectors shall enforce compliance with this section within the limits of each agency's statutory authority.
(11) No portion of this section restricts an owner, renter or lessee in the lawful use of his or her own private property or rented or leased property or to prohibit the disposal of any industrial and other wastes into waters of this state in a manner consistent with the provisions of article eleven, chapter twenty-two of this code. But if any owner, renter or lessee, private or otherwise, knowingly permits any such materials or substances to be placed, deposited, dumped or thrown in such location that high water or normal drainage conditions will cause any such materials or substances to wash into any waters of the state, it is prima facie evidence that the owner, renter or lessee intended to violate the provisions of this section: Provided, That if a landowner, renter or lessee, private or otherwise, reports any placing, depositing, dumping or throwing of these substances or materials upon his or her property to the prosecuting attorney, county commission or the Division of Natural Resources or the Department of Environmental Protection, then the landowner, renter or lessee will be presumed to not have knowingly permitted the placing, depositing, dumping or throwing of the materials or substances.
(b) Any indication of ownership found in litter shall be prima facie evidence that the person identified violated the provisions of this section: Provided, That no inference may be drawn solely from the presence of any logo, trademark, trade name or other similar mass reproduced things of identifying character appearing on the found litter.
(c) Every person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to disposing of litter in violation of subsection (a) of this section shall pay a civil penalty in the sum of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars as costs for cleanup, investigation and prosecution of the case, in addition to any other court costs that the court is otherwise required by law to impose upon a convicted person.
The clerk of the circuit court, magistrate court or municipal court in which these additional costs are imposed shall, on or before the last day of each month, transmit fifty percent of a civil penalty received pursuant to this section to the State Treasurer for deposit in the State Treasury to the credit of a special revenue fund to be known as the litter control fund which is hereby continued and transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection. Expenditures for purposes set forth in this section are not authorized from collections but are to be made only in accordance with appropriation and in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twelve of this code and upon fulfillment of the provisions set forth in article two, chapter five-a of this code. Amounts collected which are found from time to time to exceed the funds needed for the purposes set forth in this article may be transferred to other accounts or funds and designated for other purposes by appropriation of the Legislature.
(d) The remaining fifty percent of each civil penalty collected pursuant to this section shall be transmitted to the county or regional solid waste authority in the county where the litter violation occurred. Moneys shall be expended by the county or regional solid waste authority for the purpose of litter prevention, cleanup and enforcement. The county commission shall cooperate with the county or regional solid waste authority serving the respective county to develop a coordinated litter control program pursuant to section eight, article four, chapter twenty-two-c of this code.
(e) The Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles, upon registering a motor vehicle or issuing an operator's or chauffeur's license, shall issue to the owner or licensee, as the case may be, a summary of this section and section fourteen, article fourteen, chapter seventeen-c of the code.
(f) The Commissioner of the Division of Highways shall cause appropriate signs to be placed at the state boundary on each primary and secondary road, and at other locations throughout the state, informing those entering the state of the maximum penalty provided for disposing of litter in violation of subsection (a) of this section.
(g) Any state agency or political subdivision that owns, operates or otherwise controls any public area as may be designated by the Secretary by rule promulgated pursuant to subdivision (8), subsection (a), section three of this article, shall procure and place litter receptacles at its own expense upon its premises and shall remove and dispose of litter collected in the litter receptacles. After receiving two written warnings from any law-enforcement officer or officers to comply with this subsection or the rules of the Secretary, any person who fails to place and maintain the litter receptacles upon his or her premises in violation of this subsection or the rules of the Secretary shall be fined fifteen dollars per day of the violation.
§22-15A-5. Litter pickup and removal; education; government recycling responsibilities; monitoring and evaluation; study commission; repeal; report to Legislature.

(a) Litter pickup and removal.
(1) Each county commission and the Regional Jail Authority may establish a jail or prison inmate program including a regular litter pickup work regimen under proper supervision pursuant to section four, article fifteen, chapter seventeen of this code. Funding for said programs shall be from the Litter Control Fund. Funding requirements may include salaries for additional personnel needed for the program. Said program may include the cooperative help of the Division of Highways or any other voluntary state, local, private, civic or public agency for personnel, equipment, or materials in establishing a county or region-wide, continual program of inmate litter pickup. Upon final approval of the projected cost of the program for a given fiscal year, the Secretary shall disburse the approved amount to the county or regional authority. The funds will be used by the authority to reimburse the county commission or Regional Jail Authority for its expenses related to the program and to pay other costs related to the use of inmates for litter pickup. Nothing contained herein shall preclude a county or counties from expending whatever additional funds its commission or commissions may deem appropriate from any other revenue source in furtherance of said program.
(2) All persons involved with litter pickup may separate identifiable recyclable materials from other litter collected. The funds resulting from the sale of those recyclable materials shall be returned to the Litter Control Fund.
(3) The county or regional solid waste authority may also contract with local governments, civic organizations or chief correctional officers in any county to implement litter pickup and removal pursuant to this act when the state offender work force is not available. In such cases, the contract provisions shall require that identifiable recyclable materials shall be separated from other litter collected, with resulting funds returned to the Litter Control Fund. Priority shall be given to those contracts that maximize the use of community service hours by inmates and youth employment programs.
(b) Education.
(1) The Department of Education in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection shall distribute educational materials to the schools based on the goals of litter clean up and proper solid waste disposal, the rationale for said goals, and how primary and secondary school students can contribute to the achievement of such goals. The Department of Education shall further incorporate such information into the curriculum of the public school system as appropriate.
(2) The Department of Commerce, the Division of Highways and local governments shall conduct public awareness programs to notify the public of the provisions of this law and how they can participate, to inform them as to the rationale behind the provisions of this law, to advise them of other avenues for achievement of the noted goals and to encourage their participation.
(3) The Department of Environmental Protection and the Solid Waste Management Board shall provide technical assistance to local governments in the implementation of this law.
(c) Government recycling responsibilities.
(1) All state agencies and regional planning councils may establish and implement aluminum container, glass and paper recycling programs at their public facilities. To the extent practicable, programs for other metals, plastics, rubber and other recyclable materials may be established and implemented. The moneys collected from the sale of such materials shall be deposited and accounted for in the Litter Control Fund pursuant to the authority of section four of this article.
(2) To further promote recycling and reduction of the waste stream, county and municipal governments shall consider the establishment of recycling programs as provided in this section in the operation of their facilities and shall evaluate the cost- effectiveness of:
(A) Procedures that separate identifiable recyclable materials from solid waste collected; and
(B) Programs that provide for:
(i) The establishment of a collection place for recyclables at all landfills and other interim solid waste collection sites and arrangements for the material collected to be recycled;
(ii) Public notification of such places and encouragement to participate;
(iii) The use of rate differentials at landfills to facilitate public participation in on-site recycling programs.
(d) Each affected agency and local government shall monitor and evaluate the programs implemented pursuant to this law.
(e) The Secretary shall submit a report to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate not later than the first day of March, two thousand six, and every five years thereafter regarding the effectiveness of the programs authorized by this law.
. §22-15A-6. Assistance to solid waste authorities.
The Secretary may expend funds from the Litter Control Fund established pursuant to section four of this article to assist county and regional solid waste authorities in the formulation of their comprehensive litter and solid waste control plans pursuant to section eight, article four, chapter twenty-two-c of this code and in the construction and maintenance of approved commercial solid waste facilities authorities which would in the opinion of the Secretary be unable to construct or maintain an approved commercial solid waste facility without grant funds.
§22-15A-7. Pollution prevention and open dumps.
(a) The Secretary shall establish the Pollution Prevention and Open Dump (PPOD) Program to encourage the proper disposal of commercial and residential solid waste and to undertake all reclamation, cleanup and remedial actions necessary to minimize or mitigate damage to the environment, natural resources, public water supplies, water resources and the public health, safety and welfare which may result from open dumps or solid waste not disposed of in a proper or lawful manner. The program shall seek to eliminate open dumps, which often include waste tires and to recycle as many items as possible from these reclamation efforts. This program shall be funded through the Solid Waste Reclamation and Environmental Response Fund established in section eleven, article fifteen, chapter twenty-two of this code.
(b) Authorized representatives of the Department have the right, upon presentation of proper identification, to enter upon any property for the purpose of conducting studies or exploratory work to determine the existence of adverse effects of an open dump, to determine the feasibility of the reclamation or prevention of such adverse effects and to conduct reclamation activities provided herein. Such entry is an exercise of the police power of the state and for the protection of public health, safety and general welfare and is not an act of condemnation of property or trespass thereon. Nothing contained in this section eliminates any obligation to follow any process that may be required by law.
§22-15A-8. Waste tires prohibited in certain places; penalty.
(a) No person shall, within this state, place, deposit or abandon any waste tire or part thereof upon the right-of-way of any public highway or upon any other public property nor deposit or abandon any waste tire or part thereof upon any private property unless it is at a licensed monofill, solid waste facility or at any other business authorized by the Department of Environmental Protection to accept, process, manufacture or remanufacture waste tires: Provided, That the Secretary may temporarily accumulate as many waste tires as he or she deems necessary at any location or locations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this article.
(b) No person, except those persons who have received and maintain a valid permit or license from the state for the operation of a solid waste facility, waste tire monofill, waste tire processing facility, or other such permitted activities, shall accumulate more than one hundred waste tires for beneficial use without obtaining a license or permit from the Department of Environmental Protection.
(c) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of creating an open dump and subject to enforcement actions or prosecution under the provisions of article fifteen, chapter twenty-two of this code.
§22-15A-9. Department to administer funds for waste tire remediation; rules authorized; duties of Secretary.

(a) The Department shall administer all funds made available to the Department for remediation of waste tire piles and for the proper disposal of waste tires removed from waste tire piles. The Secretary may: (i) Propose for legislative promulgation in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code emergency and legislative rules necessary to implement the provisions of this article; and (ii) administer all funds appropriated by the Legislature to carry out the requirements of this article and any other funds from whatever source, including, but not limited to, federal, state or private grants.
(b) All authority to promulgate legislative rules necessary to implement the provisions of this article is hereby transferred from the Division of Highways to the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection as of the effective date of enactment of this section and article during the two thousand five session of the Legislature: Provided, That the legislative rule "Waste Tire Remediation/Environmental Clean Up, 157 CSR 8" authorized by legislative enactment during the two thousand one session of the Legislature shall remain in force and effect until the Secretary amends the rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(c) The Secretary also has the following powers: (1) To apply and carry out the provisions of this article and the rules promulgated under this article. (2) To investigate, from time to time, the operation and effect of this article and of the rules promulgated under this article and to report his or her findings and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor.
(d) On or before the first day of July, two thousand six, the Secretary shall determine the location, approximate size and potential risk to the public of all waste tire piles in the state and establish, in descending order, a waste tire remediation list.(e) The Secretary may contract with the Department of Health and Human Resources or the Division of Corrections, or both, to remediate or assist in remediation of waste tire piles throughout the state. Use of available Department of Health and Human Resources and the Division of Corrections work programs shall be given priority status in the contract process so long as such programs prove a cost-effective method of remediating waste tire piles.
(f) Waste tire remediation shall be stopped upon the discovery of any potentially hazardous material at a remediation site. The Department shall respond to the discovery in accordance with the provisions of article nineteen, chapter twenty-two of this code.
(g) The Secretary may establish a tire disposal program within the Department to provide for a cost effective and efficient method to accept passenger car and light truck waste tires at locations designated by the Department that have sufficient space for temporary storage of waste tires and personnel to accept and handle waste tires. The Secretary may pay a fee for each tire an individual West Virginia resident or West Virginia business brings to the Department. The Secretary may establish a limit on the number of tires an individual or business may be paid for during any calendar month. The Secretary may in his or her discretion authorize commercial businesses to participate in the collection program: Provided, That no person or business who has a waste tire pile subject to remediation under this article may participate in this program.
(h) The Secretary may pledge not more than two and one-half million dollars annually of the moneys appropriated, deposited or accrued in the A. James Manchin Fund created by section eleven of this article, to the payment of debt service, including the funding of reasonable reserves, on bonds issued by the Water Development Authority pursuant to section seventeen-a, article fifteen-a, chapter thirty-one of this code to finance infrastructure projects relating to waste tire processing facilities located in this state: Provided, That a waste tire processing facility shall be determined by the Solid Waste Management Board, established pursuant to the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-two-c of this code, to meet all applicable federal and state environmental laws and rules and to aid the state in efforts to promote and encourage recycling and use of constituent component parts of waste tires in an environmentally sound manner: Provided, however, That the waste tire processing facility shall have a capital cost of not less than three hundred million dollars, and the council for community and economic development shall determine that the waste tire processing facility is a viable economic development project of benefit to the state's economy.
§22-15A-10. Disposal of waste tires.
(a) The Department may sell waste tires collected during remediation of waste tire piles at public auction or to a waste tire monofill, waste tire processing facility or business authorized by the Department of Environmental Protection to accept, store, use or process waste tires.
(b) If there is no market in West Virginia for the sale of waste tires the Department may sell them at any available market.
(c) If there is no market for the sale of waste tires the Department may dispose of them in any lawful manner.
§22-15A-11. Creation of the A. James Manchin Fund; proceeds from sale of waste tires; fee on issuance of certificate of title.

(a) There is continued in the State Treasury a special revenue fund known as the "A. James Manchin Fund," which is transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection. All moneys appropriated, deposited or accrued in this Fund shall be used exclusively for remediation of waste tire piles as required by this article for the tire disposal program established under section ten of this article or for the purposes of subsection (h), section ten of this article or for the purposes of subsection (c), section eleven of this article. The Fund consists of the proceeds from the sale of waste tires; fees collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles as provided in section sixteen, article ten, chapter seventeen-a of this code; any federal, state or private grants; legislative appropriations; loans; and any other funding source available for waste tire remediation. Any unprogrammed balance remaining in the Fund at the end of any state fiscal year shall be transferred to the Solid Waste Reclamation and Environmental Response Fund.
(b) No further collections or deposits shall be made after the Secretary certifies to the Governor and the Legislature that the remediation of all waste tire piles that were determined by the Secretary to exist on the first day of January, two thousand six, has been completed and that all infrastructure bonds issued by the Water Development Authority pursuant to section seventeen-a, article fifteen-a of chapter thirty-one of this code have been paid in full or legally defeased.
(c) If infrastructure bonds are not issued by the Water Development Authority pursuant to section seventeen-a, article fifteen-a, chapter thirty-one of this code to finance infrastructure projects relating to waste tire processing facilities located in this state on or before the thirty-first day of December, two thousand six, all further collections and deposits to the A. James Manchin Fund which are not programmed for remediation or disposal shall be transferred to the Solid Waste Reclamation and Environmental Response Fund at the end of each fiscal year.
§22-15A-12. Remediation; liability for remediation and court costs.

(a) Any person who illegally disposed of waste tires or has waste tires illegally disposed on his or her property shall be liable for:
(1) All costs of removal or remedial action incurred by the Department;
(2) Any other necessary costs of remediation, including properly disposing of waste tires and damage to adjacent property owners; and
(3) All costs incurred in bringing civil actions under this article.
(b) The Department shall notify any person who owns real property or rights to property where a waste tire pile is located that remediation of the waste tire pile is necessary. The Department shall make and enter an order directing such person or persons to remove and properly dispose of the waste tires. The Department shall set a time limit for completion of the remediation. The order shall be served by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or by a county sheriff or deputy sheriff.
(c) If the remediation is not completed within the time limit or the person cannot be located or the person notifies the Department that he or she is unable to comply with the order, the Department may expend funds, as provided herein, to complete the remediation. Any amounts so expended shall be promptly repaid by the person or persons responsible for the waste tire pile. Any person owing remediation costs, damages or both, shall be liable at law until such time as all costs and or damages are fully paid.
(d) Authorized representatives of the Department have the right, upon presentation of proper identification, to enter upon any property for the purpose of conducting studies or exploratory work to determine the existence of adverse effects of a waste tire pile, to determine the feasibility of the remediation or prevention of such adverse effects and to conduct remediation activities provided herein. Such entry is an exercise of the police power of the state and for the protection of public health, safety and general welfare and is not an act of condemnation of property or trespass thereon. Nothing contained in this section eliminates any obligation to follow any process that may be required by law.
(e) There is hereby created a statutory lien upon all real property and rights to the property from which a waste tire pile was remediated for all reclamation costs and damages incurred by the Department. The lien created by this section shall arise at the later of the following:
(1) The time costs are first incurred by the Department; or
(2) The time the person is provided, by certified or registered mail, or personal service, written notice as required by this section.
The lien shall continue until the liability for the costs or judgment against the property is satisfied.
(f) Liens created by this section shall be duly recorded in the office of the clerk of the county commission in the county where the real property is located, be liens of equal dignity, rank and priority with the lien on such premises of state, county, school and municipal taxes for the amount thereof upon the real property served. The Department shall have the power and authority to enforce such liens in a civil action to recover the money due for remediation costs and damages plus court fees and costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
(g) The Department may foreclose upon the premises by bringing a civil action, in the circuit court of the county where the property is located, for foreclosure and an order to sell the property to satisfy the lien.
(h) Any proceeds from any sale of property obtained as a result of execution of a lien or judgment under this section for remediation costs, excluding costs of obtaining judgment and perfecting the lien, shall be deposited into the A. James Manchin Fund of the State Treasury.
(i) The provisions of this section do not apply and no lien may attach to the right-of-way, easement or other property interest of a utility, whether electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone, television cable or other public service unless the utility contributed to the illegal tire pile.
§22-15A-13. Injunctive relief; additional remedy.
In addition to all other remedies provided in this article, the Attorney General of this state, the prosecuting attorney of any county where any violation of any provision of this article occurs, or any citizen, resident or taxpayer of the county where any violation of any provision of this article occurs, may apply to the circuit court, or the judge thereof in vacation, of the county where the alleged violation occurred, for an injunction to restrain, prevent or abate the maintenance and storage of waste tires in violation of any provision of this article, or the violation of any other provision of this article. In seeking an injunction, it is not necessary for the Secretary or any state agency seeking an injunction under this section to post bond.
§22-15A-14. Authority of Commissioner of Bureau of Public Health.
Although the Secretary is primarily responsible for remediation of waste tire piles under the provisions of this article, the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health may enforce the public health laws in any instance where the Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health determines there is an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health.
§22-15A-15. Continuation of waste tire remediation program.
The waste tire remediation program shall continue to exist, pursuant to the provisions of article ten, chapter four of this code, until the first day of July, two thousand six, unless sooner terminated, continued or reestablished pursuant to the provisions of that article.
§22-15A-16. Recycling goals.

By the first day of January, two thousand ten, it is the goal of this state to reduce the disposal of municipal solid waste by fifty percent of the amount of per capita solid waste disposed of in one thousand nine hundred ninety-one.
§22-15A-17. Recycling plans.

(a) Each county or regional solid waste authority, as part of the comprehensive litter and solid waste control plan required pursuant to the provisions of section eight, article four, chapter twenty-two-c of this code, shall prepare and adopt a comprehensive recycling plan to assist in the implementation of the recycling goals in section three of this article.
(b) Each recycling plan required by this section shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Designation of the recyclable materials that can be most effectively source separated in the region or county, which shall include at least three recyclable materials; and
(2) Designation of potential strategies for the collection, marketing and disposition of designated source separated recyclable materials in each region or county.
§22-15A-18. Establishment of county recycling programs for solid waste; petition for referendum; ballot contents; election procedure; effect of such election.

(a) On or before the eighteenth day of October, one thousand nine hundred ninety-two, each municipality described in subsection (b) of this section shall submit a proposal to the Solid Waste Management Board, consistent with the provisions of this section, describing the establishment and implementation of the mandatory recycling program. The Solid Waste Management Board shall review the submitted plans for consistency with the criteria provided in this section, the county or regional solid waste management plan and the statewide management plan. The Solid Waste Management Board may make suggested changes to the plan and shall provide technical assistance to the municipalities in the development of the plans.
(b) On or before the eighteenth day of October, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, each municipality with a population of ten thousand or more people, as determined by the most recent decennial census by the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of Commerce, shall establish and commence implementation of a source separation and curbside collection program for recyclable materials. Implementation shall be phased in by the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five. Such program shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) An ordinance adopted by the governing body of the municpality requiring that each person, partnership, corporation or other entity in the municipality shall separate at least three recyclable materials, as deemed appropriate by the municipality, from other solid waste: Provided, That the list of recyclables to be separated may be adjusted according to whether the generator is residential, commercial or other type of establishment.
(2) A scheduled day, at least one per month, during which separated materials are to be placed at the curbside, or similar location, for collection.
(3) A system that collects recyclable materials from the curbside, or similar location, at least once per month: Provided, That to encourage full participation, the program shall, to the maximum extent possible, provide for the collection of recyclables at the same rate of frequency, and simultaneous with, the regular collection of solid waste.
(4) Provisions to ensure compliance with the ordinance, including incentives and penalties.
(5) A comprehensive public information and education program covering the importance and benefits of recycling, as well as the specific features and requirements of the recycling program. As part of the education program, each municipality shall, at a minimum, notify all persons occupying residential, commercial, institutional or other premises within its boundaries of the requirements of the program, including how the system will operate, the dates of collection, the responsibilities of persons within the municipality and incentives and penalties.
(6) Consultation with the county or regional solid waste authority in which the municipality is located to avoid duplication, ensure coordination of solid waste programs and maximize the market for recyclables.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, a comprehensive recycling program for solid waste may be established in any county of this state by action of a county commission in accordance with the provisions of this section. Such program shall require:
(1) That, prior to collection at its source, all solid waste shall be segregated into separate identifiable recyclable materials by each person, partnership, corporation and governmental agency subscribing to a solid waste collection service in the county or transporting solid waste to a commercial solid waste facility in the county;
(2) Each person engaged in the commercial collection, transportation, processing or disposal of solid waste within the county shall accept only such solid waste from which recyclable materials in accordance with said county's comprehensive recycling program have been segregated; and
(3) That the provisions of the recycling plan prepared pursuant to section seventeen of this article shall, to the extent practicable, be incorporated in said county's comprehensive recycling program.
(d) For the purposes of this article, recyclable materials shall include, but not be limited to, steel and bi-metallic cans, aluminum, glass, paper and such other solid waste materials as may be specified by either the municipality or county commission with the advice of the county or regional solid waste authority.
(e) A comprehensive recycling program for solid waste may be established in any county of this state by: (1) A petition filed with the county commission bearing the signatures of registered voters of the county equal to not less than five percent of the number of votes cast within the county for Governor at the preceding gubernatorial election; and (2) approval by a majority of the voters in a subsequent referendum on the issue. A referendum to determine whether it is the will of the voters of a county that a comprehensive recycling program for solid waste be established in the county may be held at any regular primary or general election or in conjunction with any other countywide election. Any election at which the question of establishing a policy of comprehensive recycling for solid waste is voted upon shall be held at the voting precincts established for holding primary or general elections. All of the provisions of the general election laws, when not in conflict with the provisions of this article, shall apply to voting and elections hereunder, insofar as practicable. The Secretary of State shall prescribe the form of the petition which shall include the printed name, address and date of birth of each person whose signature appears on the petition. Upon verification of the required number of signatures on the petition, the county commission shall, not less than seventy days before the election, order that the issue be placed on the ballot and referendum held at the next primary, general or special election to determine whether it is the will of the voters of said county that a policy of comprehensive recycling of solid waste be established in the county: Provided, That the petition bearing the necessary signatures has been filed with the county commission at least one hundred days prior to the election.
The ballot, or the ballot labels where voting machines are used, shall have printed thereon substantially the following:
"Shall the County Commission be required to establish a comprehensive recycling program for solid waste in __________ County, West Virginia?
? For Recycling
? Against Recycling
(Place a cross mark in the square opposite your choice.)"
If a majority of legal votes cast upon the question be for the establishment of a policy of comprehensive recycling of solid waste, the county commission shall, after the certification of the results of the referendum, thereafter adopt an ordinance, within one hundred eighty days of said certification, establishing a comprehensive recycling program for solid waste in the county: Provided, That such program shall be implemented and operational no later than twelve months following said certification. If a majority of the legal votes cast upon the question be against the establishment of a policy of comprehensive recycling of solid waste, said policy shall not take effect, but the question may again be submitted to a vote at any subsequent election in the manner herein provided.
(f) A comprehensive recycling program for solid waste established by petition and referendum may be rescinded only pursuant to the procedures set out herein to establish the program.
To rescind the program, the ballot, or the ballot labels where voting machines are used, shall have printed thereon substantially the following:
"Shall the County Commission be required to terminate the comprehensive recycling program for solid waste in ___________ County, West Virginia?
? Continue Recycling
? End Recycling
(Place a cross mark in the square opposite your choice.)"
(g) If a majority of legal votes cast upon the question be for the termination of a policy of comprehensive recycling of solid waste previously established in the county, the county commission shall, after the certification of the results of the referendum, thereafter rescind by ordinance the comprehensive recycling program for solid waste in the county within ninety days of said certification. If a majority of the legal votes cast upon the question be for the continuation of the policy of comprehensive recycling of solid waste, said ordinance shall not be rescinded, but the question may again be submitted to a vote at any subsequent election in the manner herein provided.
(h) In the case of any municipality having a population greater than thirty thousand persons, as indicated by the most recent decennial census conducted by the United States, the governing body of such municipality may by ordinance establish a materials recovery facility in lieu of or in addition to the mandatory recycling program required under the provisions of this section: Provided, That such materials recovery facility shall be subject to approval by both the Public Service Commission and the Solid Waste Management Board upon a finding by both the Public Service Commission and the Solid Waste Management Board that the establishment of such materials recovery facility will not hinder, and will be consistent with, the purposes of this article.
§22-15A-19. Recycling assessment fee; regulated motor carriers; dedication of proceeds; criminal penalties.

(a) Imposition. -- A recycling assessment fee is hereby levied and imposed upon the disposal of solid waste at all solid waste disposal facilities in this state, to be collected at the rate of two dollars per ton or part of a ton of solid waste. The fee imposed by this section is in addition to all other fees levied by law.
(b) Collection, return, payment and records. -- The person disposing of solid waste at the solid waste disposal facility shall pay the fee imposed by this section, whether or not that person owns the solid waste, and the fee shall be collected by the operator of the solid waste facility who shall remit it to the tax commissioner:
(1) The fee imposed by this section accrues at the time the solid waste is delivered to the solid waste disposal facility;
(2) The operator shall remit the fee imposed by this section to the Tax Commissioner on or before the fifteenth day of the month next succeeding the month in which the fee accrued. Upon remittance of the fee, the operator shall file returns on forms and in the manner as prescribed by the tax commissioner;
(3) The operator shall account to the state for all fees collected under this section and shall hold them in trust for the state until they are remitted to the tax commissioner;
(4) If any operator fails to collect the fee imposed by this section, he or she is personally liable for the amount that he or she failed to collect, plus applicable additions to tax, penalties and interest imposed by article ten, chapter eleven of this code;
(5) Whenever any operator fails to collect, truthfully account for, remit the fee or file returns with the fee as required in this section, the tax commissioner may serve written notice requiring the operator to collect the fees which become collectible after service of the notice, to deposit the fees in a bank approved by the tax secretary, in a separate account, in trust for and payable to the tax commissioner, and to keep the amount of the fees in the account until remitted to the tax commissioner. The notice remains in effect until a notice of cancellation is served on the operator or owner by the tax commissioner;
(6) Whenever the owner of a solid waste disposal facility leases the solid waste facility to an operator, the operator is primarily liable for collection and remittance of the fee imposed by this section and the owner is secondarily liable for remittance of the fee imposed by this section. However, if the operator fails, in whole or in part, to discharge his or her obligations under this section, the owner and the operator of the solid waste facility are jointly and severally responsible and liable for compliance with the provisions of this section;
(7) If the operator or owner responsible for collecting the fee imposed by this section is an association or corporation, the officers of the association or corporation are liable, jointly and severally, for any default on the part of the association or corporation, and payment of the fee and any additions to tax, penalties and interest imposed by article ten, chapter eleven of this code may be enforced against them and against the association or corporation which they represent; and
(8) Each person disposing of solid waste at a solid waste disposal facility and each person required to collect the fee imposed by this section shall keep complete and accurate records in the form required by the tax commissioner in accordance with the rules of the tax commissioner.
(c) Regulated motor carriers. -- The fee imposed by this section is a necessary and reasonable cost for motor carriers of solid waste subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission under chapter twenty-four-a of this code. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon the filing of a petition by an affected motor carrier, the Public Service Commission shall, within fourteen days, reflect the cost of the fee in the motor carrier's rates for solid waste removal service. In calculating the amount of the fee to the motor carrier, the Commission shall use the national average of pounds of waste generated per person per day as determined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(d) Definition. -- For purposes of this section, "Solid waste Disposal Facility" means any approved solid waste facility or open dump in this state and includes a transfer station when the solid waste collected at the transfer station is not finally disposed of at a solid waste facility within this state that collects the fee imposed by this section.
Nothing in this section authorizes in any way the creation or operation of or contribution to an open dump.
(e) Exemptions. -- The following transactions are exempt from the fee imposed by this section:
(1) Disposal of solid waste at a solid waste facility by the person who owns, operates or leases the solid waste disposal facility if it is used exclusively to dispose of waste originally produced by that person in his or her regular business or personal activities or by persons utilizing the facility on a cost-sharing or nonprofit basis;
(2) Reuse or recycling of any solid waste; and
(3) Disposal of residential solid waste by an individual not in the business of hauling or disposing of solid waste on the days and times designated by the Secretary by rule as exempt from the fee imposed pursuant to section eleven, article fifteen, chapter twenty-two of this code.
(f) Procedure and administration. -- Notwithstanding section three, article ten, chapter eleven of this code, each and every provision of the "West Virginia Tax Procedure and Administration Act" set forth in article ten, chapter eleven of this code applies to the fee imposed by this section with like effect as if the Act were applicable only to the fee imposed by this section and were set forth in extenso in this section.
(g) Criminal penalties. -- Notwithstanding section two, article nine, chapter eleven of this code, sections three through seventeen, article nine, chapter eleven of this code apply to the fee imposed by this section with like effect as if the sections were the only fee imposed by this section and were set forth in extenso in this section.
(h) Dedication of proceeds. -- The proceeds of the fee collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited by the tax commissioner, at least monthly, in a special revenue account designated as the "recycling assistance fund" which is hereby continued and transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection. The Secretary shall allocate the proceeds of the fund as follows:
(1) Fifty percent of the total proceeds shall be provided in grants to assist municipalities, counties and other interested parties in the planning and implementation of recycling programs, public education programs and recycling market procurement efforts, established pursuant to this article. The Secretary shall promulgate rules, in accordance with chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, containing application procedures, guidelines for eligibility, reporting requirements and other matters considered appropriate: Provided, That persons responsible for collecting, hauling or disposing of solid waste who do not participate in the collection and payment of the solid waste assessment fee imposed by this section in addition to all other fees and taxes levied by law for solid waste generated in this state which is destined for disposal, shall not be eligible to receive grants under the provisions of this article;
(2) Twelve and one-half percent of the total proceeds shall be expended for personal services and benefit expenses of full-time salaried conservation officers;
(3) Twelve and one-half percent of the total proceeds shall be directly allocated to the solid waste planning fund;
(4) Twelve and one-half percent of the total proceeds shall be transferred to the solid waste reclamation and environmental response fund, established pursuant to section eleven, article fifteen, chapter twenty-two of this code, to be expended by the Department of Environmental Protection to assist in the funding of the pollution prevention and open dumps program (PPOD) which encourages recycling, reuse, waste reduction and clean-up activities; and
(5) Twelve and one-half percent of the total proceeds shall be deposited in the hazardous waste emergency response fund established in article nineteen, chapter twenty-two of this code.
§22-15A-20. Establishment of state recycling program for solid waste.

(a) In the absence of either a municipal or a comprehensive county recycling plan pursuant to section eighteen of this article, all agencies and instrumentalities of the state, all primary and secondary schools, where practicable, and private colleges and universities shall implement programs to recycle solid waste. To carry out the purposes of this section, any affected party may be eligible to receive grants pursuant to subdivision (1), subsection (h), section nineteen of this article. Such programs shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Source separation of at least two recyclable materials; and
(2) In the absence of either a municipal program or a comprehensive county recycling plan pursuant to section eighteen of this article, collection and transportation of source separated recycled materials to an appropriate location.
(b) For purposes of this section, the Department shall be designated the lead agency to ensure proper compliance and coordination.
§22-15A-21. Procurement of recycled products.
(a) It is the policy of the State of West Virginia that, to the maximum extent possible, all agencies and instrumentalities of the state purchase recycled products. The goal of the state is to achieve a recycled product mix on future purchases of:
(b) In furtherance of the aforesaid goal, the Secretary of the Department of Administration in consultation with the Secretary shall develop a comprehensive procurement program for recycled products. The program shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) A review, and subsequent revision, of existing procurement procedures and bid specifications to remove language that discriminates against recycled products;
(2) A review, and subsequent revision, of existing procurement procedures and bid specifications to ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, all agencies and instrumentalities of the state purchase recycled products: Provided, That recycled paper products shall be given a price preference of ten percent: Provided, however, That priority shall be given to paper products with the highest postconsumer content;
(3) A plan to eliminate, to the maximum extent possible, the use of disposable and single-use products; and
(4) A requirement that all agencies and instrumentalities of the state use compost in all land maintenance and landscaping activities: Provided, That the use of composted or deep stacked poultry litter products, certified by the Commissioner of Agriculture as being free from organisms that are not found in poultry litter produced in this state, have priority unless determined to be economically unfeasible by the agency or instrumentality.
(c) The Secretary shall prepare and submit an annual report on the thirty-first day of January of each year summarizing the program's accomplishments, prospects for the future, and any recommendations. The report shall be submitted to the Governor, Speaker of the House of Delegates and President of the Senate.
§22-15A-22. Prohibition on the disposal of certain items; plans for the proper handling of said items required.

(a) Effective the first day of June, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, it shall be unlawful to dispose of lead-acid batteries in a solid waste landfill in West Virginia; effective the first day of June, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, it shall be unlawful to dispose of tires in a solid waste landfill in West Virginia except for waste tires collected as part of the Department's waste tire remediation projects or other collection efforts in accordance with the provisions of this article or the pollution prevention program and open dump program or other state authorized remediation or cleanup programs: Provided, That waste tires may be disposed of in solid waste landfills only when the state agency authorizing the remediation or cleanup program has determined there is no reasonable alternative available.
(b) Effective the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, it shall be unlawful to dispose of yard waste, including grass clippings and leaves, in a solid waste facility in West Virginia: Provided, That such prohibitions do not apply to a facility designed specifically to compost such yard waste or otherwise recycle or reuse such items: Provided, however, That reasonable and necessary exceptions to such prohibitions may be included as part of the rules promulgated pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.
(c) No later than the first day of May, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, the Solid Waste Management Board shall design a comprehensive program to provide for the proper handling of yard waste and lead-acid batteries. No later than the first day of May one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, a comprehensive plan shall be designed in the same manner to provide for the proper handling of tires.
(d) No later than the first day of August, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five, the Department shall promulgate rules, in accordance with chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, as amended, to implement and enforce the program for yard waste and lead-acid batteries designed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. No later than the first day of August, two thousand, the Department shall promulgate rules, in accordance with chapter twenty-nine-a of said code, as amended, to implement and enforce the program for tires designed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
(e) For the purposes of this section, "yard waste" means grass clippings, weeds, leaves, brush, garden waste, shrub or tree prunings and other living or dead plant tissues, except that, such materials which, due to inadvertent contamination or mixture with other substances which render the waste unsuitable for composting, shall not be considered to be yard waste: Provided, That the same or similar waste generated by commercial agricultural enterprises is excluded.
(f) In promulgating the rules required by subsections (c) and (d) of this section, yard waste, as described in subsection (e) of this section, the Department shall provide for the disposal of yard waste in a manner consistent with one or any combination of the following:
(1) Disposal in a publicly or privately operated commercial or noncommercial composting facility.
(2) Disposal by composting on the property from which domestic yard waste is generated or on adjoining property or neighborhood property if consent is obtained from the owner of the adjoining or neighborhood property.
(3) Disposal by open burning where such activity is not prohibited by this code, rules promulgated hereunder or municipal or county codes or ordinances.
(4) Disposal in a publicly or privately operated landfill, only where none of the foregoing options are available. Such manner of disposal will involve only small quantities of domestic yard waste generated only from the property of the participating resident or tenant.
§22-15A-23. Recycled Oil Advisory Committee.

(a) The Recycled Oil Advisory Committee is continued. The Recycled Oil Advisory Committee shall consist of nine members appointed by the Governor, for terms of two years, who serve without compensation. One member of the Committee shall have significant experience in the oil refining industry, one member shall have significant experience in the jobbing or distributing of motor oil, one member shall be a representative of retail gasoline dealers, one member shall be a representative of retail merchants, one member shall be a representative of the insurance industry, one member shall be a member of a county or Regional Solid Waste Authority, one member shall be a member of the general public, one member shall be a member of the House of Delegates recommended by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member shall be a member of the Senate recommended by the President of the Senate. The Secretary or his or her designated representative shall be an ex officio member of the committee and shall serve as chair of the Committee. The Recycled Oil Advisory Committee shall meet at least monthly, or upon the call of four members, to discuss all aspects of the collection, handling, transportation, storage, disposal and recycling of used motor oil.
(b) The functions of the committee include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Making recommendations to the Department of Environmental Protection and the Legislature concerning the adoption of management standards with respect to collection, handling, transportation, storage, disposal and recycling of used motor oil. The committee shall make the first report of its recommendations on or before the fifteenth day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-two, and other such reports may be made at such times as the committee deems appropriate.
(2) Carrying out education and promotional activities regarding the use of recycled oil.
(3) Identifying areas in the public and private sectors where recycled oil could be utilized.
(4) Entertaining proposals from citizens, corporations and businesses related to all aspects of used motor oil.
(5) Identifying administrative requirements at both the state and local levels to ascertain resources and needs relating to used motor oil.
(6) Examining federal law and regulations, both existing and proposed, to assure that West Virginia businesses and individuals who generate used motor oil may participate in a program of handling and disposing of used motor oil that complies with federal statutes and regulatory requirements.
§22-15A-24. Recycled newsprint encouraged; findings; goals; recycled newsprint advisory committee formed; annual report required.

(a) The purpose of this section is to encourage newspapers published and distributed in the State of West Virginia to use recycled newsprint.
(b) The Legislature finds that:
(1) It is the public policy of the State of West Virginia to preserve natural resources, extend the useful life of solid waste facilities, stimulate the demand for recycled products and ensure a more efficient allocation of resources;
(2) The publication of newspapers consumes large quantities of virgin paper;
(3) Discarded newspapers present significant solid waste management problems; and
(4) Encouraging newspaper publishers to use recycled newsprint will help attain the aforementioned public policy.
(c) In furtherance of the public policy set forth in subsection (b) of this section, it is the goal of this state that for the year ending the thirty-first day of December, one thousand nine hundred ninety-six, eighty percent of the newsprint used by newspapers published and distributed in this state shall contain the highest post-consumer recycled paper content practicable.
(d) The recycled newsprint advisory committee is continued. The recycled newsprint advisory committee shall consist of seven members appointed by the Governor, for terms of two years, who shall serve without compensation. One member of the committee shall be the publisher, or his or her designated representative, of a daily newspaper with a general circulation in excess of twenty-five thousand newspapers per day, one member of the committee shall be the publisher, or his or her designated representative, of a daily newspaper with a general circulation of less than or equal to twenty-five thousand newspapers per day, one member of the committee shall be the publisher, or his or her designated representative, of a weekly newspaper, one member of the committee shall be a member of the general public representing environmental interests, one member of the committee shall be a member of a county or regional solid waste authority, one member of the committee shall be a member of the House of Delegates recommended by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and one member of the committee shall be a member of the Senate recommended by the President of the Senate. The Secretary, or his or her designated representative, shall serve as an ex officio member of the committee and shall serve as chair of the committee. The Executive Director of the Solid Waste Management Board, or his or her representative, shall serve as an ex officio member of the committee. The Recycling Newspaper Advisory Committee shall meet at least quarterly, or upon the call of three members, to discuss all aspects of encouraging the use of recycled newsprint and meeting the goals set forth in this section.
(e) On or before the thirty-first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-three, the recycled newsprint advisory committee shall prepare and submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the President of the Senate, summarizing the activities of the committee, its progress in achieving the recycled newsprint goal and any recommendations for legislative action.
§22-15A-25. Feasibility study of recycling industries.

The Secretary in consultation with the Governor's Office of Community and Industrial Development shall develop a plan for presentation to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates no later than the fifteenth day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-two, which plan shall contain recommendations relating to the feasibility of establishing glass preparation plants, de-inking plants and re-refining used motor oil plants.
The plan may include provisions to carry out each of the following:
(1) Encouragement, to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with the protection of the public health and the environment, of the use of re-refined motor oil, de-inked pulp and prepared glass in all appropriate areas of state and local government;
(2) Encouragement of persons contracting with the state to use re-refined motor oil, de-inked pulp and prepared glass to the maximum extent feasible, consistent with protection of the public health and the environment;
(3) Informing the public of uses of re-refined motor oil, de-inked pulp and prepared glass; and
(4) Establishment and implementation of a program, including any necessary licensing of persons and including the use, where appropriate, of manifests to assure the used re-refined motor oil, de-inked pulp and prepared glass is collected, transported, treated, stored, reused and disposed of, in a manner which does not present a hazard to the public health or the environment.
§22-15A-26. Recycling facilities exemption.

Recycling facilities, as defined in section two, article fifteen of chapter twenty-two of this code, whose only function is to accept free-of-charge, buy or transfer source separated material or recycled material for resale or transfer for further processing are exempt from the provisions of said article and article four of chapter twenty-two-c and sections one-c and one-f, article two, chapter twenty-four of this code.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to consolidate all litter control, open dump elimination and reclamation, waste tire remediation, and recycling programs into one program administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

This article is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.
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