PRINTER'S NO. 839

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 775 Session of 1993


        INTRODUCED BY SCHULER, FAIRCHILD, HENNESSEY, DEMPSEY, PESCI,
           MICOZZIE, PHILLIPS, HERSHEY, KING, BELFANTI, KASUNIC, CLARK
           AND LAUGHLIN, MARCH 22, 1993

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION, MARCH 22, 1993

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97), entitled "An
     2     act providing for the planning and regulation of solid waste
     3     storage, collection, transportation, processing, treatment,
     4     and disposal; requiring municipalities to submit plans for
     5     municipal waste management systems in their jurisdictions;
     6     authorizing grants to municipalities; providing regulation of
     7     the management of municipal, residual and hazardous waste;
     8     requiring permits for operating hazardous waste and solid
     9     waste storage, processing, treatment, and disposal
    10     facilities; and licenses for transportation of hazardous
    11     waste; imposing duties on persons and municipalities;
    12     granting powers to municipalities; authorizing the
    13     Environmental Quality Board and the Department of
    14     Environmental Resources to adopt rules, regulations,
    15     standards and procedures; granting powers to and imposing
    16     duties upon county health departments; providing remedies;
    17     prescribing penalties; and establishing a fund," further
    18     providing for certain facility siting and for approval by
    19     governing body.

    20     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    21  hereby enacts as follows:
    22     Section 1.  The act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97), known
    23  as the Solid Waste Management Act, is amended by adding a
    24  section to read:
    25  Section 104.1.  Facility siting.
    26     (a)  The department shall, within two years of the effective

     1  date of this section, adopt regulations for the siting of
     2  municipal, residual and hazardous waste treatment, processing or
     3  disposal facilities, which criteria shall include, but not be
     4  limited to, specific restrictions and limitations on the siting
     5  of a municipal, residual or hazardous waste facility:
     6         (1)  Within a five-mile radius of any existing or
     7     proposed municipal, residual or hazardous waste facility.
     8         (2)  Within a two-mile radius of any public facility or
     9     building which is owned by a school district or a private or
    10     parochial school.
    11         (3)  Within a two-mile radius of any airport, community
    12     park, hospital, church, retail center or nursing home.
    13         (4)  Within a two-mile radius of any prison or facility
    14     in which individuals are involuntarily incarcerated.
    15     (b)  Such regulations shall consider and address the
    16  environmental, economic and societal impacts of the siting of
    17  facilities as described in subsection (a)(1), (2), (3) and (4).
    18     Section 2.  Section 504 of the act is amended to read:
    19  Section 504.  Approval by governing body.
    20     (a)  Applications for a permit shall be reviewed by the
    21  appropriate county, county planning agency or county health
    22  department where they exist and the host municipality, and they
    23  may recommend to the department conditions upon, revisions to,
    24  or disapproval of the permit only if specific cause is
    25  identified. In such case the department shall be required to
    26  publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin its justification for
    27  overriding the county's recommendations. If the department does
    28  not receive comments within 60 days, the county shall be deemed
    29  to have waived its right to review.
    30     (b)  At the request of a county within which a facility is to
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     1  be located, the department may reimburse the county for costs
     2  incurred for an independent permit application review including
     3  a review of the environmental, health, economic and social
     4  impacts at the facility, by a professional engineer who is
     5  licensed in this Commonwealth and who has previous experience in
     6  preparing such permit applications, of an application under this
     7  act, for a new municipal waste landfill or resource recovery
     8  facility or that would result in additional capacity for a
     9  municipal waste landfill or resource recovery facility.
    10  Reimbursement shall not exceed $10,000 per complete application.
    11     Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.













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