§ 8-1-103 - Powers and duties.
8-1-103. Powers and duties.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission shall have the following powers and duties, respectively:
(1) (A) Following a public hearing and based upon a record calculating the reasonable administrative costs of evaluating and taking action on permit applications and of implementing and enforcing the terms and conditions of permits and variances, the commission shall establish, by regulation, reasonable fees for initial issuance, annual review, and modification of water, air, or solid waste permits required by 8-4-101 -- 8-4-106, 8-4-201 -- 8-4-229, 8-4-301 -- 8-4-314, 8-6-201 -- 8-6-212, 8-6-213 [repealed], 8-6-214, 8-6-215 -- 8-6-217 [superseded], and 8-9-403. These fees shall consist of initial fees, annual review fees, and modification fees, as defined in 8-1-102.
(B) (i) All fees will be capped at no more than the appropriation. Provided, however, in setting reasonable permit fees, the commission shall:
(a) (1) Set water permit fees calculated to generate revenues in any fiscal year greater than three and one-quarter (3.25) times the total amount collected from water permit fees in fiscal year 1992-1993.
(2) Provided, water permit fee revenues generated through permits issued for new facilities which are permitted after July 1, 1995, shall not be subject to the overall fee cap specified for water permit fees herein;
(b) (1) Effective July 1, 2000, set water permit fees calculated to generate no revenues in any fiscal year greater than three and five-tenths (3.5) times the total amount collected from water permit fees in fiscal year 1992-1993.
(2) Provided, however, effective July 1, 2001, water permit fee revenues may be increased up to three percent (3%) per year; and
(c) (1) Set solid waste permit fees for Class I and Class III landfills calculated to generate revenues in any fiscal year that exceed four and one-quarter (4.25) times the total amount of permit fees collected from Class I and Class III solid waste landfills in fiscal year 1992-1993.
(2) Provided, that the total fee revenues cannot exceed one and one-quarter (1.25) times the total amount collected from solid waste permit fees in fiscal year 1994-1995.
(ii) Should the amount of permit fees levied on and received from permits existing prior to June 30, 1995, exceed the amounts specified in subdivision (1)(B)(i) of this section in a fiscal year, the overcollections may be retained by the department to be used to reduce permit fees in subsequent years by relative amounts.
(iii) With the exception of major underground injection control wells, fees for no-discharge state permits will be capped at five hundred dollars ($500);
(2) (A) The regulations shall provide that the fees shall be assessed on a per-facility basis for the following categories of permits:
(i) Air;
(ii) Water; and
(iii) Solid waste.
(B) All annual fees for air permits issued under the state implementation plan or the regulations promulgated pursuant to the Clean Air Act shall be assessed in accordance with the Clean Air Act.
(C) The regulations may include a provision for appropriate adjustments in the fees to reflect carryover fee collections in excess of the administrative costs of issuance, renewal, inspection, modification, and monitoring associated with these permits.
(D) Notwithstanding other provisions of this subchapter and other applicable laws, the commission is authorized to promulgate and the department is authorized to collect annual fees from facilities electing to operate under the terms and conditions of a pollution prevention plan in lieu of an air permit. The annual pollution prevention plan fee shall be equal to the fee otherwise applicable to facilities operating under an air permit;
(3) The department shall collect the permit fees as established by the commission and shall deny the issuance of an initial permit, a renewal permit, or a modification permit if and when any facility subject to control by the department fails or refuses to pay the fees after reasonable notice as established by the regulations promulgated under this chapter;
(4) The department shall require that any fee defined in this chapter shall be paid prior to the issuance of any permit; and
(5) The department is hereby authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to administer the fees, rates, tolls, or charges for services established by this section and is directed to prescribe and collect such fees, rates, tolls, or charges for the services delivered by the department in such manner as may be necessary to support the programs of the department as directed by the Governor and the General Assembly.