Bill Text: IL HB1546 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning NPDES discharge fees.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-23 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB1546 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HB1546-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning safety.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Section 12.5 as follows:
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6 | (415 ILCS 5/12.5)
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7 | Sec. 12.5. NPDES discharge fees; sludge permit fees.
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8 | (a) Beginning July 1, 2003, the
the Agency shall assess | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | and collect annual fees
(i) in the amounts set forth in | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | subsection (e) for all discharges that require
an NPDES permit | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | under subsection (f) of Section 12, from each person holding | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | an
NPDES permit authorizing those discharges (including a | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | person who continues to
discharge under an expired permit | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | pending renewal), and (ii) in the amounts
set forth in | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | subsection (f) of this Section for all activities that require | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | a
permit under subsection (b) of Section 12, from each person | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | holding a domestic
sewage sludge generator or user permit. | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | Each person subject to this Section must remit the | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | applicable annual fee to
the Agency in accordance with the | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | requirements set forth in this Section and
any rules adopted | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | pursuant to this Section.
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22 | (b) Within 30 days after the effective date of this | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | Section, and each year thereafter, except when a fee is not due |
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1 | because of the operation of subsection (c), the Agency shall | ||||||
2 | send a fee notice by mail
to each existing permittee subject to | ||||||
3 | a fee under this Section at his or her
address of record. The | ||||||
4 | notice shall state the amount of the applicable annual
fee and | ||||||
5 | the date by which payment is required.
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6 | Except as provided in subsection (c) with respect to | ||||||
7 | initial fees under
new permits and certain modifications of | ||||||
8 | existing permits, fees payable under
this Section are due by | ||||||
9 | the date
specified in the fee notice, which shall be no less | ||||||
10 | than 30 days after the date
the fee notice is mailed by the | ||||||
11 | Agency.
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12 | (c) The initial annual fee for discharges under a new | ||||||
13 | NPDES
permit or for activity under a new
sludge generator or | ||||||
14 | sludge user
permit must be remitted to the Agency prior to the | ||||||
15 | issuance of the permit.
The Agency shall provide notice of the | ||||||
16 | amount of the fee to the applicant
during its review of the | ||||||
17 | application. In the case of a new
NPDES
or sludge permit issued | ||||||
18 | during the months of January through June, the Agency
may | ||||||
19 | prorate the initial annual fee payable under this Section.
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20 | The initial annual fee for discharges or other activity | ||||||
21 | under a general
NPDES permit must be remitted to the Agency as | ||||||
22 | part of the application
for coverage under that general | ||||||
23 | permit.
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24 | Beginning January 1, 2010, in the case of construction | ||||||
25 | site storm water discharges for which a coverage letter under | ||||||
26 | a general NPDES permit or individual NPDES permit has been |
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1 | issued or for which the application for coverage under an | ||||||
2 | NPDES permit has been filed with the Agency, no annual fee | ||||||
3 | shall be due after payment of an initial annual fee in the | ||||||
4 | amount provided in subsection (e)(10) of this Section.
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5 | If a requested modification to an existing NPDES permit | ||||||
6 | causes a change in
the applicable fee categories under | ||||||
7 | subsection (e) that results in an increase
in the required | ||||||
8 | fee, the permittee must pay to the Agency the amount of the
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9 | increase, prorated for the number of months remaining before | ||||||
10 | the next July 1,
before the modification is granted.
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11 | (d) Failure to submit the fee required under this Section | ||||||
12 | by the due
date constitutes a violation of this Section. Late | ||||||
13 | payments shall incur an
interest penalty, calculated at the | ||||||
14 | rate in effect from time to time for tax
delinquencies under | ||||||
15 | subsection (a) of Section 1003 of the Illinois Income Tax
Act, | ||||||
16 | from the date the fee is due until the date the fee payment is | ||||||
17 | received
by the Agency.
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18 | (e) The annual fees applicable to discharges under NPDES | ||||||
19 | permits are as
follows:
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20 | (1) For NPDES permits for publicly owned treatment | ||||||
21 | works, other
facilities for which the wastewater being | ||||||
22 | treated and discharged is primarily
domestic sewage, and | ||||||
23 | wastewater discharges from the operation of public water
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24 | supply treatment facilities, the fee is:
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25 | (i) $1,500 for the 12 months beginning July 1, | ||||||
26 | 2003 and $500 for each subsequent year, for facilities |
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1 | with a Design Average Flow rate of less than
100,000 | ||||||
2 | gallons per day;
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3 | (ii) $5,000 for the 12 months beginning July 1, | ||||||
4 | 2003 and $2,500 for each subsequent year, for | ||||||
5 | facilities with a Design Average Flow rate of at least
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6 | 100,000 gallons per day but less than 500,000 gallons | ||||||
7 | per day;
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8 | (iii) $7,500 for facilities with a Design Average | ||||||
9 | Flow rate of at least
500,000 gallons per day but less | ||||||
10 | than 1,000,000 gallons per day;
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11 | (iv) $15,000 for facilities with a Design Average | ||||||
12 | Flow rate of at least
1,000,000 gallons per day but | ||||||
13 | less than 5,000,000 gallons per day;
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14 | (v) $30,000 for facilities with a Design Average | ||||||
15 | Flow rate of at least
5,000,000 gallons per day but | ||||||
16 | less than 10,000,000 gallons per day; and
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17 | (vi) $50,000 for facilities with a Design Average | ||||||
18 | Flow rate of
10,000,000 gallons per day or more.
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19 | (2) For NPDES permits for treatment works or sewer | ||||||
20 | collection systems
that include combined sewer overflow | ||||||
21 | outfalls, the fee is:
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22 | (i) $1,000 for systems serving a tributary | ||||||
23 | population of 10,000 or less;
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24 | (ii) $5,000 for systems serving a tributary | ||||||
25 | population that is greater
than 10,000 but not more | ||||||
26 | than 25,000; and
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1 | (iii) $20,000 for systems serving a tributary | ||||||
2 | population that is greater
than 25,000.
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3 | The fee amounts in this subdivision (e)(2) are in | ||||||
4 | addition to the fees
stated in subdivision (e)(1) when the | ||||||
5 | combined sewer overflow outfall is
contained within a | ||||||
6 | permit subject to subsection (e)(1) fees.
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7 | (3) For NPDES permits for mines producing coal, the | ||||||
8 | fee is $5,000.
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9 | (4) For NPDES permits for mines other than mines | ||||||
10 | producing coal, the fee
is $5,000.
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11 | (5) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where | ||||||
12 | toxic substances are
not regulated, other than permits | ||||||
13 | covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4),
the fee is:
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14 | (i) $1,000 for a facility with a Design Average | ||||||
15 | Flow rate that is not
more than 10,000 gallons per day;
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16 | (ii) $2,500 for a facility with a Design Average | ||||||
17 | Flow rate that is more
than 10,000 gallons per day but | ||||||
18 | not more than 100,000 gallons per day; and
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19 | (iii) $10,000 for a facility with a Design Average | ||||||
20 | Flow rate that is
more than 100,000 gallons per day.
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21 | (6) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where | ||||||
22 | toxic substances are
regulated, other than permits covered | ||||||
23 | under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the
fee is:
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24 | (i) $15,000 for a facility with a Design Average | ||||||
25 | Flow rate that is not
more than 250,000 gallons per | ||||||
26 | day; and
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1 | (ii) $20,000 for a facility with a Design Average | ||||||
2 | Flow rate that is
more than 250,000 gallons per day.
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3 | (7) For NPDES permits for industrial activity | ||||||
4 | classified by USEPA as a
major discharge, other than | ||||||
5 | permits covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4),
the | ||||||
6 | fee is:
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7 | (i) $30,000 for a facility where toxic substances | ||||||
8 | are not regulated; and
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9 | (ii) $50,000 for a facility where toxic substances | ||||||
10 | are regulated.
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11 | (8) For NPDES permits for municipal separate storm | ||||||
12 | sewer systems, the fee
is $1,000.
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13 | (9) For NPDES permits for industrial storm water,
the | ||||||
14 | fee is $500.
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15 | (10) For NPDES permits for construction site storm | ||||||
16 | water, the fee | ||||||
17 | (A) for applications received before January 1, | ||||||
18 | 2010 is $500; | ||||||
19 | (B) for applications received on or after January | ||||||
20 | 1, 2010 is: | ||||||
21 | (i) $250 if less than 5 acres are disturbed; | ||||||
22 | and | ||||||
23 | (ii) $750 if 5 or more acres are disturbed. | ||||||
24 | (11) For an NPDES permit for a Concentrated Animal | ||||||
25 | Feeding Operation (CAFO), the fee is: | ||||||
26 | (A) $750 for a Large CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R. |
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1 | 122.23(b)(4); | ||||||
2 | (B) $350 for a Medium CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R. | ||||||
3 | 122.23(b)(6); and | ||||||
4 | (C) $150 for a Small CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R. | ||||||
5 | 122.23(b)(9). | ||||||
6 | (f) The annual fee for activities under a permit that | ||||||
7 | authorizes applying
sludge on land is $2,500 for a sludge | ||||||
8 | generator permit and $5,000 for a sludge
user permit.
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9 | (g) More than one of the annual fees specified in | ||||||
10 | subsections (e) and (f)
may be applicable to a permit holder. | ||||||
11 | These fees are in addition to any other
fees required under | ||||||
12 | this Act.
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13 | (h) The fees imposed under this Section do not apply to the | ||||||
14 | State or any
department or agency of the State, nor to any | ||||||
15 | school district, or to any private sewage disposal system as | ||||||
16 | defined in the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS | ||||||
17 | 225/).
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18 | (i) The Agency may adopt rules to administer the fee | ||||||
19 | program established
in this Section. The Agency may include | ||||||
20 | provisions pertaining to invoices,
notice of late payment, | ||||||
21 | refunds, and disputes concerning the amount or timeliness of
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22 | payment. The Agency may set forth procedures and criteria for | ||||||
23 | the acceptance
of payments. The absence of such rules does not | ||||||
24 | affect the duty of the Agency
to immediately begin the | ||||||
25 | assessment and collection of fees under this Section.
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26 | (j) All fees and interest penalties collected by the |
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1 | Agency under this
Section shall be deposited into the Illinois | ||||||
2 | Clean Water Fund, which is
hereby created as a special fund in | ||||||
3 | the State treasury. Gifts,
supplemental environmental project | ||||||
4 | funds, and grants may be deposited into
the Fund. Investment | ||||||
5 | earnings on moneys held in the Fund shall be credited
to the | ||||||
6 | Fund.
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7 | Subject to appropriation, the moneys in the Fund shall be | ||||||
8 | used by the
Agency to carry out the Agency's clean water | ||||||
9 | activities.
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10 | (k) Except as provided in subsection (l) or Agency rules, | ||||||
11 | fees paid to the Agency under this Section are not refundable.
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12 | (l) The Agency may refund the difference between (a) the | ||||||
13 | amount paid by any person under subsection (e)(1)(i) or | ||||||
14 | (e)(1)(ii) of this Section for the 12 months beginning July 1, | ||||||
15 | 2004 and (b) the amount due under subsection (e)(1)(i) or | ||||||
16 | (e)(1)(ii) as established by this amendatory Act of the 93rd | ||||||
17 | General Assembly.
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18 | (Source: P.A. 96-245, eff. 8-11-09; 97-962, eff. 8-15-12.)
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