MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2005 Regular Session
To: County Affairs; Appropriations
By: Representative Cummings
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 17-17-63, 17-17-65 AND 17-17-425, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT MONIES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY SPECIAL GRANT FUNDS ALLOCATED TO THE COUNTIES BE CONSIDERED ENCUMBERED AND PLEDGED FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE COUNTIES AND SHALL NOT BE TRANSFERRED, EXPENDED OR USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 17-17-63, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
17-17-63. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a fund designated as the Mississippi Nonhazardous Solid Waste Corrective Action Trust Fund for the purpose of providing funds for emergency, preventive or corrective actions which may be required or determined necessary by the department of any nonhazardous solid waste disposal facility that received in whole or in part household waste and closed before the effective date of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 258.
(2) The trust fund shall be administered by the executive director. The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of the fund and for a system of priorities for related projects eligible for funding. Only the facilities meeting the criteria in subsection (1) are eligible for funding.
(3) The commission may escalate, expend or utilize funds in the trust fund for the following purposes:
(a) To take whatever emergency action is necessary or appropriate to assure that the public health or safety is not threatened whenever there is a release or substantial threat of a release of contaminants from any source within the permitted area of an eligible facility;
(b) To take preventive or corrective actions where the release of contaminants from any source within the permitted area of an eligible facility which presents an actual or potential threat to human health or the environment including, but not limited to, closure and post-closure care of an eligible facility; and
(c) To take any actions as may be necessary to monitor and provide post-closure care of any eligible facility, including preventive and corrective actions, without regard to identity or solvency of the owner thereof.
(4) The fund may not be used to pay for the normal costs of closure and post-closure care of an eligible facility or where no release or substantial threat of a release of contaminants has been found by the commission.
(5) Expenditures may be made from the fund upon requisition by the executive director.
(6) The fund shall be treated as a special trust fund. Interest earned on the principal in the fund shall be credited by the department to the fund, unless funds allocated under Section 17-17-219(3)(a)(i) are being paid to the Local Governments Solid Waste Assistance Fund. If those funds are being paid to the Local Governments Solid Waste Assistance Fund, the department shall credit the earned interest to the Local Governments Solid Waste Assistance Fund.
(7) The fund may receive monies from any available public or private source, including, but not limited to, collection of fees, interest, grants, taxes, public and private donations, petroleum violation escrow funds or refunds and appropriated funds.
(8) The department shall transfer any balance in the fund on July 1, 1997, in excess of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) to the Local Governments Solid Waste Assistance Fund.
(9) The monies from this fund that are provided to the counties shall be considered encumbered and pledged for the exclusive use of the counties and shall not be transferred, expended or used for any other purpose.
SECTION 2. Section 17-17-65, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
17-17-65. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a fund designated as the Local Governments Solid Waste Assistance Fund, referred to in this section as "fund," to be administered by the executive director of the department.
(2) The fund shall be used to provide grants to counties, municipalities, regional solid waste management authorities or multicounty entities as provided in subsection (5) of this section for one or more of the following purposes:
(a) Cleanup of existing and future unauthorized dumps on public or private property, subject to the limitation in subsection (4) of this section;
(b) Establishment of a collection center or program for white goods, recyclables or other bulky rubbish waste not managed by local residential solid waste collection programs;
(c) Provision of public notice and education related to the proper management of solid waste, including recycling;
(d) Payment of a maximum of fifty percent (50%) of the cost of employing a local solid waste enforcement officer;
(e) Distribution and use as grants to regional solid waste management authorities, counties and municipalities for implementation of household hazardous waste collection programs, in accordance with Sections 17-17-439 through 17-17-445. The grants shall not exceed seventy-five percent (75%) of eligible project costs as established by the commission; and
(f) Development of other local solid waste management program activities associated with the prevention, enforcement or abatement of unauthorized dumps, as approved by the commission.
(3) The commission shall earmark ten percent (10%) of the amount deposited in the fund annually to be used to make grants to counties, municipalities, regional solid waste management authorities or multicounty entities to assist in defraying the cost of preparing solid waste management plans required by Section 17-17-227. The commission shall award these grants according to the merit of grant proposals received by the commission and the level of need and timeliness of the requirement for the county or regional solid waste management authority to update its solid waste management plan.
(4) If a person is found to be responsible for creating an unauthorized dump, the grantee shall make a reasonable effort to require that person to clean up the property before expending any monies from the fund to clean up the property. If the grantee is unable to locate the person responsible for creating the dump, or if the grantee determines that person is financially or otherwise incapable of cleaning up the property, the grantee may use the monies from the fund to clean up the property and shall make a reasonable effort to recover from the responsible person any funds expended.
(5) (a) Of monies annually deposited in the fund and any balance remaining in the fund, the commission shall annually allocate monies as follows:
(i) One-half (1/2) of the deposited funds and remaining balance shall be allocated to each county based on the percentage of state aid road mileage as established by the Mississippi Department of Transportation State Aid road formula.
(ii) One-half (1/2) of the deposited funds and remaining balance shall be made available to counties or municipalities for grants on a competitive basis.
(b) The department shall notify the president of the board of supervisors of each county in writing of the amount allocated under paragraph (a)(i) of this subsection and that additional funds are available on a competitive basis as provided under paragraph (a)(ii) of this subsection.
(c) Upon receipt of a scope of work and cost proposal acceptable to the commission, the commission shall award a grant to a county up to the allocated amount for that county under paragraph (a)(i) of this subsection. The commission may award additional grant funds from monies available under paragraph (a)(ii) of this subsection based upon the acceptable scope of work and cost proposal.
(d) The commission may award grants to a regional solid waste management authority or other multicounty entity upon submission of a consolidated scope of work and cost proposal acceptable to the commission and authorized by the member counties. Upon submission of a scope of work and cost proposal, the commission may award grants to municipalities from monies available under paragraph (a)(ii) of this subsection.
(e) No grantee shall use more than three percent (3%) of funds provided under this section to defray the costs of administration of the grant.
(6) The department may use up to three percent (3%) of monies annually deposited in the fund and of any balance remaining in the fund to provide for the administration of this section.
(7) Expenditures may be made from the fund upon requisition by the executive director of the department.
(8) The fund shall be treated as a special trust fund. Interest earned on the principal in the fund shall be credited by the department to the fund.
(9) The fund may receive monies from any available public or private source, including, but not limited to, collection of fees, interest, grants, taxes, public and private donations, judicial actions and appropriated funds.
(10) Monies in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be retained in the fund for use in the succeeding fiscal year.
(11) The commission may consolidate any grant provided under this section with any grant provided under the waste tire management program or the right-way-to-throw-away program. Funds provided through any consolidated grant shall be used in accordance with the program under which the funds are provided.
(12) Funds provided under this section shall not be used to pay any costs of the establishment or operation of a landfill, rubbish disposal site or other type of solid waste disposal facility, for the routine collection of garbage or to collect any fees assessed under Section 19-5-21 or 21-19-2.
(13) The commission shall not provide any funds under this section to any grantee with an inadequate garbage or rubbish collection or disposal system as required under Section 19-5-17 or 21-19-1.
(14) The monies from this fund that are provided to the counties shall be considered encumbered and pledged for the exclusive use of the counties and shall not be transferred, expended or used for any other purpose.
SECTION 3. Section 17-17-425, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
17-17-425. (1) Beginning July 1, 1995, monies allocated to the Environmental Protection Trust Fund from waste tire fees shall be accounted for in a waste tire account and shall be utilized for the following purposes:
(a) Not more than sixty percent (60%) shall be utilized for making grants to counties, municipalities or regional solid waste management authorities: (i) for providing a waste tire collection program for small quantity waste tire generators as provided in Section 17-17-409; (ii) for use in clean-up of small scattered unauthorized waste tire dumps not abated under Section 17-17-419; (iii) for matching funds for employment of a solid waste enforcement officer as provided in Section 17-17-65; and (iv) for purchase of products derived from Mississippi waste tires;
(b) Not more than five percent (5%) shall be utilized by the department for abatement of unauthorized waste tire dumps as provided in Section 17-17-419;
(c) Not more than fifteen percent (15%) shall be utilized (i) to provide incentive grants to persons that will manufacture products from waste tires, use recovered rubber from waste tires or use waste tires as a fuel or fuel supplement,
(ii) to provide funding for research and demonstration projects directly related to solving solid waste problems resulting from waste tires, including the use of innovative technologies for the processing of waste tires, (iii) to provide an incentive reimbursement to end users for the costs of using waste tires or waste tire derived materials where those tires originate in the State of Mississippi, if the commission determines an incentive is necessary to promote market development. The commission may determine legitimate end uses that may be eligible for reimbursement and an acceptable rate of reimbursement; and
(d) Not more than twenty percent (20%) shall be utilized by the department to pay the costs of administering these funds and the waste tire management program required under Sections 17-17-405, 17-17-407, 17-17-411, 17-17-413, 17-17-419 and 17-17-423.
(2) To provide for the maximum effective use of funds in the waste tire account, the commission, upon determination that unused funds are available in a particular program as described above, may reallocate funds between the programs described in paragraphs (a) through (c) of subsection (1) to exceed the percentage thresholds.
(3) The commission may consolidate any grant provided under this section with any grant provided under the local governments solid waste assistance program or the Right-Way-To-Throw-Away Program. Funds provided through any consolidated grant shall be used in accordance with the program under which the funds are provided.
(4) The commission shall establish a statewide plan for the use of monies received under Sections 17-17-401 through 17-17-427 and shall adopt regulations for administering this fund. The regulations shall include eligibility requirements for persons requesting incentive grants and funding for research and demonstration projects. No incentive grant or research and demonstration project funding may be awarded for an activity which receives less than seventy-five percent (75%) of its waste tires from Mississippi waste tires sites, retailers or residents. The commission may consider requests for funding from applicants who do not meet this requirement contingent upon the applicant demonstrating that the activity does or will accept Mississippi tires and that the award of the requested funding would be in the best interest of the State of Mississippi. The burden of proof shall be on the applicant to show that eligibility requirements have been met.
(5) For the purpose of establishing a statewide plan for the use of monies received under Sections 17-17-401 through 17-17-427 and proposing regulations for administering this fund, including eligibility requirements and application priorities, the commission shall create an advisory council consisting of members of the tire industry, the general public, the department, and the Mississippi Development Authority.
(6) The department shall provide technical assistance, upon written request, to a municipality, county or group of counties desiring assistance in applying for waste tire grants or choosing a method of waste tire management which would be an eligible use of the grant funds.
(7) Subject to the authority of the commission in subsection (2) of this section, monies existing in the waste tire account of the Environmental Protection Trust Fund on July 1, 1995, shall remain in the account as previously allocated but those monies which have been allocated for incentive grants or research and demonstration awards shall be combined as described in subsection (1)(c) of this section.
(8) The monies from this fund that are provided to the counties shall be considered encumbered and pledged for the exclusive use of the counties and shall not be transferred, expended or used for any other purpose.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2005.