LD 2223
pg. 17
Page 16 of 18 An Act to Encourage Continuous Improvement in Pollution Prevention in Maine ... Page 18 of 18
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LR 3120
Item 1

 
prevention efforts and to provide the municipal officers with a
copy of progress reports.

 
10. It authorizes the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection to require the owner or operator of a facility to
submit a plan summary if the facility has not made sufficient
progress in reducing toxics use, toxics release or hazardous
waste generation as evidenced by the facility's progress report.
It requires the commissioner to review a pollution prevention
plan in the following situations: if the plan summary indicates
significant deficiencies in the facility's pollution prevention
efforts; if the facility fails to reach any of its reduction
goals by more than 25%, as indicated in the plan summary; or if
the municipal officers in the municipality in which the facility
is located submit a petition to review the plan. It also
authorizes the commissioner to require the owners or operators of
a facility to modify a pollution prevention plan and authorizes
the owner or operator of a facility to appeal to the Board of
Environmental Protection a decision of the commissioner to
require the facility to modify its plan.

 
11. It requires the Commissioner of Environmental Protection
to organize and store in electronic form the information
submitted to the department in progress reports, in order to
facilitate public access.

 
12. It requires the Commissioner of Environmental Protection
to offer technical services over the Internet and to establish a
clearinghouse of technical information on toxic use reduction.

 
13. It requires the Commissioner of Environmental Protection
to submit the following reports to the joint standing committee
of the Legislature having jurisdiction over natural resources
matters: a one-time report with recommendations for additional
chemicals and classes of facilities to be added to planning and
reporting requirements; a one-time report with recommendations
for focusing pollution prevention efforts on the most toxic
chemicals; and a biennial report listing those facilities that
exceed their goals and those facilities that fail to meet their
goals by at least 25%.

 
14. It authorizes the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection to designate by rule a class of facilities as subject
to planning and reporting requirements if the commissioner makes
a finding that participation by that class of facilities could
reduce threats to public health and the environment. Adding such
a class of facilities requires review by the Legislature.


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