2022 -- H 7622 | |
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LC005139 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022 | |
____________ | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE | |
ACT | |
| |
Introduced By: Representatives Morales, and Henries | |
Date Introduced: March 02, 2022 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
2 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 17.11 |
4 | THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE ACT |
5 | 42-17.11-1. Short title. |
6 | This act may be known and shall be cited as the "Green Justice Zone Act." |
7 | 42-17.11-2. Legislative findings. |
8 | (a) The government of Rhode Island has an affirmative duty to ensure that Rhode Islanders |
9 | have clean air and clean water. |
10 | (b) Many communities in the state do not have clean air and clean water, creating a |
11 | widespread and severe public health crisis. This act will establish the first green justice zone, a |
12 | model which may be replicated in future years to ensure that all communities throughout the state |
13 | have clean air and clean water. |
14 | 42-17.11-3. Definitions. |
15 | As used in this chapter: |
16 | (1) "Additional environmental remediation project" means the item in the list of available |
17 | environmental remediation projects which received fewer votes than the selected environmental |
18 | remediation project, but more votes than every other item in the list of available environmental |
| |
1 | remediation projects, during the most recent environmental justice referendum. |
2 | (2) "Available environmental remediation projects" means the list of environmental |
3 | remediation projects enumerated in § 42-17.11-17. |
4 | (3) "Board" means the board of the green justice zone. |
5 | (4) "Census block group" means a geographic region identified as and referred to as a |
6 | "census block group" by the United States Census Bureau in the 2010 census. |
7 | (5) "Census tract" means a geographic region identified as and referred to as a "census |
8 | tract" by the United States Census Bureau in the 2010 census. |
9 | (6) "Chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that produces or processes chemicals |
10 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
11 | (7) "Chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores chemicals which are intended |
12 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
13 | (8) "Community meetings" means the series of community meetings described in § 42- |
14 | 17.11-18. |
15 | (9) "Employment administrator" means the employment administrator appointed by the |
16 | board, as provided in § 42-17.11-6. |
17 | (10) "Environmental justice referendum" means the referendum described in § 42-17.11- |
18 | 19. |
19 | (11) "Environmental remediation workers" means workers who work on the selected |
20 | environmental remediation project or the additional environmental remediation project within the |
21 | green justice zone, including employees, contractors, and subcontractors. |
22 | (12) "Fossil fuel" means fuel composed of or derived from coal, petroleum, oil, natural gas, |
23 | oil shales, bitumens, or tar sands. |
24 | (13) "Fossil fuel storage facility" means a facility that stores fossil fuel for wholesale |
25 | distribution. |
26 | (14) "Green justice zone" means the special district encompassing the geographic area |
27 | specified in § 42-17.11-4. |
28 | (15) "Green justice zone permit" means the permit created in § 42-17.11-12. |
29 | (16) "Green justice zone permit applicant" means any corporation, business, firm, |
30 | partnership, or individual who has submitted a green justice zone permit application. |
31 | (17) "Green justice zone permit application" means the application to receive a green |
32 | justice zone permit, as described in § 42-17.11-13. |
33 | (18) "Green justice zone program" means the cumulative entirety of all the laws, rules, |
34 | regulations, prohibitions, duties, and obligations prescribed in this chapter, including, but not |
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1 | limited to, the requirement that industrial facilities receive an operating permit to operate within a |
2 | green justice zone, the requirement that the board organize a series of community meetings, and |
3 | the requirement that the Rhode Island secretary of state organize the environmental justice |
4 | referendum. |
5 | (19) "Industrial facility" means any land, any building or other improvement, and all real |
6 | and personal property which is designed to be used or routinely is used for industrial, |
7 | manufacturing, wholesale commercial product distribution, wholesale commercial product |
8 | transportation, wholesale commercial product storage, or wholesale commercial product |
9 | warehousing purposes. Any residential building including, but not limited to, a condominium, a |
10 | single-family housing unit, a multifamily housing unit, an apartment complex, a public housing |
11 | project, and a residential shelter shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purposes |
12 | of this chapter. Any building with the primary purpose or use of providing medical treatment, health |
13 | care, medicine, pharmaceutical drugs, physical therapy, massage therapy, psychiatry, or |
14 | psychotherapy to patients shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purposes of this |
15 | chapter. Any educational facility, including a school, university, tutoring center, or continuing |
16 | education center shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purposes of this chapter. |
17 | Any gym, recreational center, park, museum, gallery, or library shall not be considered to be an |
18 | industrial facility for the purposes of this chapter. Any retail store shall not be considered to be an |
19 | industrial facility for the purposes of this chapter. Any restaurant, grocery store, convenience store, |
20 | food pantry, or gas station shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purpose of this |
21 | chapter. Any place of religious worship or observance including, but not limited to, a mosque, |
22 | synagogue, temple, or church shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the purpose of |
23 | this chapter. Any building designed for the purpose of transporting, shipping, or receiving solar |
24 | panels, solar panel components, wind turbines, wind turbine components, electric rechargeable |
25 | batteries, electric rechargeable battery components, or any other item or product related to |
26 | renewable energy production or storage shall not be considered to be an industrial facility for the |
27 | purpose of this chapter. Any land, any building or other improvement, and all real and personal |
28 | property shall be considered to be an industrial facility if it is used as: |
29 | (i) An electric power plant that produces electricity by combusting any fossil fuel; |
30 | (ii) A waste storage facility; |
31 | (iii) A toxic material storage facility; |
32 | (iv) A fossil fuel storage facility, excluding gas stations which sell gas only at the retail |
33 | level for use in automobiles, and excluding facilities that store fossil fuels that are used exclusively |
34 | for transporting wholesale goods, including, but not limited to, into the port of Providence and out |
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1 | of the port of Providence; |
2 | (v) A fossil fuel production facility; |
3 | (vi) A fossil fuel refinery; |
4 | (vii) A chemical manufacturing plant; |
5 | (viii) A chemical storage facility; |
6 | (ix) A commercial manufacturing facility; |
7 | (x) A scrap metal storage facility; |
8 | (xi) A scrap metal processing facility; |
9 | (xii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt storage facility; |
10 | (xiii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt processing facility; |
11 | (xiv) A cement, concrete, or asphalt production facility; |
12 | (xv) An incinerator including, but not limited to, a medical waste incinerator; |
13 | (xvi) A resource recovery facility; |
14 | (xvii) A combustor; |
15 | (xviii) A transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
16 | (xix) A landfill, including, but not limited to, a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, |
17 | demolition debris, or solid waste; or |
18 | (xx) A recycling facility capable of receiving twenty (20) tons or more of recyclable |
19 | material per day. |
20 | (20) "Office of employee benefits" means the office of employee benefits of the State of |
21 | Rhode Island. |
22 | (21) "Renewable energy" means energy produced by wind turbines, solar panels, tidal |
23 | power plants, hydroelectric installations, and geothermal heat. |
24 | (22) "Selected environmental remediation project" means the item in the list of available |
25 | environmental remediation projects which received the most votes during the most recent |
26 | environmental justice referendum. |
27 | (23) "Treasurer" means the treasurer appointed by the board, as provided in § 42-17.11-6. |
28 | (24) "Zone resident" means any registered voter living within the green justice zone. |
29 | 42-17.11-4. Establishment of the green justice zone. |
30 | (a) It is hereby created a special district to be known as the "green justice zone." |
31 | (b) The area encompassed by the following census block groups from the 2010 census, and |
32 | no others, shall collectively constitute the green justice zone: |
33 | (1) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
34 | (2) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
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1 | (3) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
2 | (4) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
3 | (5) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
4 | (6) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
5 | (7) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
6 | (8) Census Tract 4, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
7 | (9) Census Tract 4, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
8 | (10) Census Tract 4, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
9 | (11) Census Tract 4, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
10 | (12) Census Tract 5, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
11 | (13) Census Tract 5, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
12 | (14) Census Tract 5, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
13 | (15) Census Tract 6, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
14 | (16) Census Tract 6, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
15 | (17) Census Tract 7, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
16 | (18) Census Tract 7, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; and |
17 | (19) Census Tract 7, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island. |
18 | 42-17.11-5. Green justice zone board. |
19 | (a) The board of the green justice zone shall consist of five (5) board members. |
20 | (b) All functions, services, and duties of the green justice zone shall be carried out by the |
21 | board, including: |
22 | (1) With regard to the operations, maintenance, and management of the green justice zone |
23 | program; and |
24 | (2) With regard to the employees employed to complete work related to the green justice |
25 | zone program. |
26 | (c) Three (3) members of the board shall constitute a quorum and a vote of three (3) |
27 | members shall be necessary for any action taken by the board. |
28 | (d) All meetings of the board shall be subject to chapter 46 of title 42 ("open meetings |
29 | act"). |
30 | 42-17.11-6. Election of the green justice zone board. |
31 | (a) Five (5) months after the enactment of this chapter, and every two (2) years thereafter, |
32 | there shall be an election by ballot, organized by the Rhode Island secretary of state, to elect the |
33 | board of the green justice zone. The five (5) candidates who receive the highest number of votes in |
34 | the election shall be elected to the board. |
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1 | (b) All registered voters who reside within the green justice zone shall be eligible to vote |
2 | in an election to elect the board of the green justice zone. |
3 | (c) Zone residents shall be permitted to cast an in-person ballot, cast an absentee ballot, or |
4 | cast a mail-in ballot, in the election of the board of the green justice zone, and shall not be required |
5 | to provide a reason for casting an in-person ballot, casting an absentee ballot, or casting a mail-in |
6 | ballot. |
7 | (d) Only registered voters who reside within the green justice zone shall be eligible to vote, |
8 | in an election to elect the board of the green justice zone. |
9 | (e) No individual shall be eligible to be a board member of the green justice zone unless |
10 | they have been continuously a resident of the green justice zone for the past five (5) years, |
11 | (f) A board member of the green justice zone shall, at all times, be a resident of the green |
12 | justice zone for the entirety of the time that they serve as a board member. |
13 | (g) Board members shall receive an annual salary equivalent to one hundred forty percent |
14 | (140%) of the statewide per capita income as determined by the United States Census Bureau. |
15 | (h) The board shall ensure that each board member receives health insurance and dental |
16 | insurance. |
17 | (i) The board shall elect a treasurer to perform the dates specified in this chapter. |
18 | 42-17.11-7. Appointment of employees. |
19 | (a) The board shall appoint an employment administrator, who shall be the appointing |
20 | authority for all employees of the board. |
21 | (b) The employment administrator may hire employees and contractors to carry out tasks |
22 | pertaining to the mission, purpose, and duties of the green justice zone or to perform administrative |
23 | or custodial tasks for the green justice zone. The employment administrator may dismiss employees |
24 | and contractors. |
25 | (c) The board may dismiss an employment administrator at any time and for any lawful |
26 | reason. |
27 | (d) The employment administrator shall make all feasible, appropriate, and lawful efforts |
28 | to ensure diversity among the employees of the board, including with regard to race, color, national |
29 | origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status |
30 | as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, |
31 | servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, housing status, |
32 | familial status, or immigration status. |
33 | 42-17.11-8. Compensation of employees. |
34 | The employment administrator shall determine annual compensation and benefits for all |
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1 | employees, contractors, and subcontractors of the board; provided that, no employee, contractor, |
2 | or subcontractor earns less than one hundred forty percent (140%) of the statewide per capita |
3 | income as determined by the United States Census Bureau; and provided that, every employee shall |
4 | also receive health insurance, dental insurance, at least two (2) weeks of paid vacation time, and at |
5 | least one paid sick day off of work, for every twenty (20) days in which they work more than six |
6 | (6) hours. |
7 | 42-17.11-9. Powers of the board. |
8 | The board shall have the authority to promulgate rules and regulations, levy fines, |
9 | adjudicate administrative cases, or take any other lawful action in order to achieve any purpose of |
10 | the green justice zone program. The board may delegate these powers. |
11 | 42-17.11-10. Offices of department. |
12 | The department of administration shall furnish the board with offices in which to transact |
13 | its business and keep its records. The offices shall be open for business each day of the year, except |
14 | Sundays and legal holidays, during such hours as may be prescribed by the board. The department |
15 | of administration shall make all feasible and appropriate efforts to ensure that the offices furnished |
16 | to the board are within the green justice zone, as defined by § 42-17.11-3. |
17 | 42-17.11-11. Receipt and use of funds. |
18 | (a) The board shall have the authority to receive and expend monies from any sources, |
19 | public or private, including, but not limited to, legislative enactments, bond issues, devises, grants, |
20 | or bequests. The board is authorized to enter into any contracts necessary to obtain and expend |
21 | those funds. |
22 | (b) The board shall appoint a treasurer to receive and expend monies, and to enter into any |
23 | contracts necessary to obtain and expend funds. The treasurer shall be a full-time employee. |
24 | (c) The board may dismiss a treasurer at any time and for any lawful reason. |
25 | 42-17.11-12. Creation of green justice zone permits. |
26 | (a) There is hereby created a new license called a green justice zone permit. |
27 | (b) Only the board shall have the power to issue a green justice zone permit. The board |
28 | may not delegate the power to issue a green justice zone permit. |
29 | 42-17.11-13. Creation of green justice zone permit application. |
30 | (a) The board shall create an application, called a green justice zone permit application, |
31 | with which corporations, businesses, firms, partnerships, or individuals, may apply for a green |
32 | justice zone permit. |
33 | (b) The green justice zone permit application shall require green justice zone permit |
34 | applicants to: |
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1 | (1) Provide the name of the corporation, business, firm, partnership, or individual, |
2 | submitting the green justice zone permit application; |
3 | (2) Specify the industrial facility for which the green justice zone permit applicant seeks a |
4 | green justice zone permit; |
5 | (3) Specify the commercial purpose of the industrial facility; and |
6 | (4) Provide the full address of the industrial facility. |
7 | (c) The green justice zone permit application shall be easily and conveniently accessible to |
8 | corporations, businesses, firms, partnerships, or individuals who own industrial facilities within the |
9 | green justice zone. |
10 | (d) The board shall create a system through which a green justice zone permit application |
11 | can be submitted. |
12 | (e) A green justice zone permit application which has been returned to the board shall be |
13 | made publicly accessible on the website of the board, no later than fourteen (14) calendar days after |
14 | the board receives the green justice zone permit application. |
15 | 42-17.11-14. Requirement to possess a green justice zone permit. |
16 | December 1, 2023, it shall be illegal to operate any industrial facility within the green |
17 | justice zone, unless that industrial facility has been granted a green justice zone permit. |
18 | 42-17.11-15. Approval and denial of green justice zone permits. |
19 | (a) The board shall not grant a green justice zone permit for any industrial facility that is |
20 | used as: |
21 | (1) An electric power plant that produces electricity by combusting any fossil fuel; |
22 | (2) A waste storage facility; |
23 | (3) A toxic material storage facility; |
24 | (4) A fossil fuel storage facility, excluding gas stations which sell gas only at the retail |
25 | level for use in automobiles and excluding sites that store fossil fuels that are used exclusively for |
26 | transporting goods or other items into the port of Providence or out of the port of Providence; |
27 | (5) A fossil fuel production facility; |
28 | (6) A fossil fuel refinery; |
29 | (7) A chemical manufacturing plant; |
30 | (8) A chemical storage facility; |
31 | (9) A commercial manufacturing facility; |
32 | (10) A scrap metal storage facility; |
33 | (11) A scrap metal processing facility; |
34 | (12) A cement, concrete, or asphalt storage facility; |
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1 | (13) A cement, concrete, or asphalt processing facility; |
2 | (14) A cement, concrete, or asphalt production facility; |
3 | (15) An incinerator including, but not limited to, a medical waste incinerator; |
4 | (16) A resource recovery facility; |
5 | (17) A combustor; |
6 | (18) A transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
7 | (19) A landfill including, but not limited to, a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, |
8 | demolition debris, or solid waste; |
9 | (20) A scrap metal recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
10 | material per day; or |
11 | (21) A wood recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
12 | material per day. |
13 | (b) The board shall issue a green justice zone permit for any industrial facility with a |
14 | purpose or type not enumerated in § 42-17.11-15(a), within forty-five (45) days of receiving the |
15 | green justice zone permit application. |
16 | 42-17.11-16. Fines and penalties. |
17 | (a) Every individual day in which any corporation, business, firm, partnership, or |
18 | individual operates an industrial facility, which has not received a green justice zone permit in the |
19 | green justice zone, in violation of § 42-17.11-14, shall count as an environmental justice violation. |
20 | (b) The board shall fine any corporation, business, firm, partnership, or individual one |
21 | million dollars ($1,000,000) for each environmental justice violation, no later than ten (10) days |
22 | from the day on which the environmental justice violation occurred. The entirety of the money |
23 | collected from these fines shall be held in a restricted funds account, to be used exclusively by the |
24 | treasurer for the selected environmental remediation project or the additional environmental |
25 | remediation project. |
26 | 42-17.11-17. Available environmental remediation projects within the green justice |
27 | zone. |
28 | The following items constitute the full and complete list of available environmental |
29 | remediation projects: |
30 | (1) Improving ventilation and air filtration in residential homes and residential buildings |
31 | within the green justice zone; |
32 | (2) Installing photovoltaic solar panels on residential homes and residential buildings |
33 | within the green justice zone; |
34 | (3) Retrofitting residential homes and residential buildings within the green justice zone to |
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1 | improve their energy efficiency; |
2 | (4) Replacing lead service pipes connected to residential homes and residential buildings |
3 | within the green justice zone; |
4 | (5) Lead abatement in soil or paint, within the green justice zone; |
5 | (6) Cleaning up pollution, within the green justice zone; and |
6 | (7) Cultivating public green spaces, within the green justice zone. |
7 | 42-17.11-18. Community meetings and discussion. |
8 | (a) Between the enactment of this chapter and the zone referendum, the board shall |
9 | organize no fewer than six (6) community meetings, in which zone residents shall have the |
10 | opportunity to discuss the zone referendum and the relative merits of different options within the |
11 | available environmental remediation projects. The final community meeting must take place within |
12 | eight (8) months of the enactment of this chapter. |
13 | (b) The board shall provide a clean, well-lit venue easily accessible to zone residents for |
14 | the community meetings. The treasurer shall pay the full and complete cost of securing the venue, |
15 | as well as any reasonable transportation expenses incurred by zone residents traveling to the venue. |
16 | (c) The board shall ensure that each community meeting, has at least one translator capable |
17 | of translating between English and any other language spoken by at least ten percent (10%) of the |
18 | Rhode Island population, as determined by the United States Census Bureau. The translator shall |
19 | receive an hourly wage that is not less than the quotient of one divided by one thousand nine |
20 | hundred and twenty (1/1,920), multiplied by one hundred forty percent (140%) of the statewide per |
21 | capita income, as calculated by the United States Census Bureau, and not more than the quotient |
22 | of one divided by one thousand nine hundred and twenty (1/1,920), multiplied by one hundred and |
23 | eighty percent (180%) of the statewide per capita income, as calculated by the United States Census |
24 | Bureau. The treasurer shall pay the full and complete cost of the translator's fee. |
25 | (d) Zone residents shall not be charged for any costs related to organizing a community |
26 | meeting. |
27 | (e) Zone residents shall receive no less than twenty dollars ($20.00) and no more than |
28 | twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for each hour that they spend attending a community meeting. |
29 | (f) The board shall ensure that each community meeting includes nutritious food and clean |
30 | drinking water, freely available to all zone residents, in attendance at the community meeting. |
31 | 42-17.11-19. Environmental justice referendum. |
32 | (a) The Rhode Island secretary of state of shall organize and conduct a referendum by |
33 | ballot, which shall be known as the environmental justice referendum, to take place fourteen (14) |
34 | days after the final community meeting. |
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1 | (b) Zone residents shall be permitted to cast an in-person ballot, cast an absentee ballot, or |
2 | cast a mail-in ballot in the environmental justice referendum, and shall not be required to provide |
3 | a reason for casting an in-person ballot, casting an absentee ballot, or casting a mail-in ballot. |
4 | (c) Only zone residents shall be eligible to vote in the environmental justice referendum. |
5 | (d) The environmental justice referendum ballot shall present the full list of available |
6 | environmental remediation projects, from which each voter shall select exactly one. |
7 | (e) The total number of votes received by each item on the list of available environmental |
8 | remediation projects during the referendum shall be made publicly available within ten (10) days |
9 | of the environmental justice referendum. |
10 | 42-17.11-20. Implementation of environmental remediation projects. |
11 | (a) The selected environmental remediation project shall be implemented by the board, as |
12 | promptly as possible after the environmental justice referendum. |
13 | (b) The treasurer shall pay the complete costs of completing the selected environmental |
14 | remediation project and, if applicable, any additional environmental remediation project. |
15 | (c) If, after fully completing the selected environmental remediation project, the treasurer |
16 | has remaining funds earmarked for the green justice zone program, the treasurer shall use the |
17 | remaining funds to implement or partially implement an additional environmental remediation |
18 | project. None of the environmental remediation projects enumerated in §§ 42-17.11-17(1) through |
19 | 42-17.11-17(4), inclusive, shall be considered complete, unless they have been offered to every |
20 | residential homeowner and every residential building owner within the green justice zone. |
21 | (d) In order to implement the selected environmental remediation project or any additional |
22 | environmental remediation projects, the employment administrator may hire environmental |
23 | remediation workers. |
24 | 42-17.11-21. Labor standards. |
25 | (a) The employment administrator shall ensure that all environmental remediation workers, |
26 | including contractors, subcontractors, and employees of the board, receive an hourly wage that is |
27 | not less than the equivalent of one divided by one thousand nine hundred and twenty (1/1,920), |
28 | multiplied by one hundred forty percent (140%) of the statewide per capita income, as calculated |
29 | by the United States Census Bureau, and not more than the equivalent of one divided by one |
30 | thousand nine hundred and twenty (1/1,920), multiplied by one hundred eighty percent (180%) of |
31 | the statewide per capita income, as calculated by the United States Census Bureau. |
32 | (b) The employment administrator shall ensure that all environmental remediation workers |
33 | receive health insurance, dental insurance, and at least one paid sick day off of work for every |
34 | twenty (20) days in which they work more than four (4) hours. |
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1 | (c) The board must provide all environmental remediation workers, with at least one total |
2 | hour of paid time off each day; provided that, the environmental remediation worker is working |
3 | more than five (5) hours in that day. The one hour may be divided into separate segments. |
4 | (d) The employment administrator shall establish a detailed and generous worker injury |
5 | compensation plan, to fairly compensate all environmental remediation workers who are injured |
6 | while working; provided that, they were injured while engaging in activities that they could be |
7 | reasonably expected to engage in, in furtherance of the work that they were hired by the |
8 | employment administrator to complete. The worker injury compensation plan shall apply |
9 | identically to employees of the board, contractors, and subcontractors. |
10 | 42-17.11-22. Employment prioritization. |
11 | (a) When hiring employees, hiring contractors, awarding contracts, designing project labor |
12 | agreements, promulgating rules and regulations, and enforcing rules and regulations, the board |
13 | shall: |
14 | (1) Prioritize, to the greatest extent feasible, lawful, and appropriate, in the judgment of the |
15 | board, providing employment to workers who are enrolled in or who were enrolled in the just |
16 | transition program administered by the department of labor and training, pursuant to § 42-16.1-21; |
17 | (2) Prioritize, to the greatest extent feasible, lawful, and appropriate, in the judgment of the |
18 | board, hiring individuals who are zone residents; and |
19 | (3) Maximize, to the greatest extent feasible, lawful, and appropriate, racial and gender |
20 | equity within the hiring processes for projects involving the green justice zone program. |
21 | (b) Contractors, subcontractors, firms, corporations, partnerships, and all other entities |
22 | working under contract with the board shall, at all times, make good faith efforts to promote |
23 | workforce diversity for projects involving the green justice zone program, including with regard to |
24 | race and gender. If the board determines that a contractor, subcontractor, firm, corporation, |
25 | partnership, or other entity is not making good faith efforts to achieve workforce diversity, the |
26 | director may prohibit that entity from bidding on contracts or being awarded contracts involving |
27 | the green justice zone program, for two (2) years. |
28 | 42-17.11-23. Consent required. |
29 | The board shall not perform any environmental remediation project on a residential home, |
30 | without that homeowner's informed consent, nor shall the board change or modify a residential |
31 | home, install anything on a residential home, or remove anything from a residential home as part |
32 | of an environmental remediation project without obtaining the homeowner's informed consent. |
33 | 42-17.11-24. Severability. |
34 | (a) If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall not |
| LC005139 - Page 12 of 42 |
1 | be affected thereby. |
2 | (b) If the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held |
3 | invalid, the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected |
4 | thereby. |
5 | SECTION 2. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND |
6 | GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
7 | CHAPTER 17.12 |
8 | ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ACT |
9 | 42-17.12-1. Short title. |
10 | This act may be known and shall be cited as the "Environmental Justice Act." |
11 | 42-17.12-2. Legislative findings. |
12 | (a) The government of Rhode Island has an affirmative duty to ensure that every resident |
13 | of the state has clean air and clean water. |
14 | (b) Any communities in the state do not have clean air and clean water, creating a |
15 | widespread and severe public health crisis. |
16 | 42-17.12-3. Definitions. |
17 | As used in this chapter: |
18 | (1) "Administrator" means the administrator of the department of environmental |
19 | management. |
20 | (2) "Air pollutant" means: |
21 | (i) Anything that is considered an "air contaminant" under § 23-23-3; or |
22 | (ii) Anything that is considered an "air pollutant" under the federal clean air act, pursuant |
23 | to 42 U.S. Code § 7602 et seq. |
24 | (3) "Census tract" means a geographic region identified and referred to as a "census tract" |
25 | by the United States Census Bureau in the 2010 census. |
26 | (4) "Chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that produces or processes chemicals |
27 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
28 | (5) "Chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores chemicals which are intended |
29 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
30 | (6) "Cumulative impact permit" means the permit described in § 42-17.12-5. |
31 | (7) "Cumulative impact permit applicant" means any corporation, business, firm, |
32 | partnership, or individual who has submitted a cumulative impact permit application |
33 | (8) "Overburdened community" means any census tract in Rhode Island that: |
34 | (i) Is at or above the seventy-fifth statewide percentile for at least three (3) of the following |
| LC005139 - Page 13 of 42 |
1 | environmental indicators on the most recent available United States Environmental Protection |
2 | Agency's assessment: |
3 | (A) PM 2.5; |
4 | (B) Ozone; |
5 | (C) NATA Diesel PM; |
6 | (D) NATA Cancer Risk; |
7 | (E) NATA respiratory hazard index; |
8 | (F) Traffic proximity; |
9 | (G) Lead paint indicator; |
10 | (H) Superfund proximity; |
11 | (I) Risk management plan facilities proximity; |
12 | (H) Hazardous waste proximity; and |
13 | (K) Wastewater discharge indicator. |
14 | (9) "Polluting facility" means any: |
15 | (i) Major stationary source of air pollution, as defined by the federal clean air act, 42 U.S. |
16 | Code § 7401 et seq.; |
17 | (ii) Resource recovery facility; |
18 | (iii) Incinerator; |
19 | (iv) Sludge processing facility; |
20 | (v) Combustor; |
21 | (vi) Incinerator; |
22 | (vii) Sewage treatment plant with a capacity of more than one million (1,000,000) gallons |
23 | per day; |
24 | (viii) Transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
25 | (ix) Recycling facility capable of receiving one hundred (100) tons or more of recyclable |
26 | material per day; |
27 | (x) Scrap metal facility; |
28 | (xi) Landfill; including a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, demolition debris, |
29 | or solid waste; |
30 | (xii) Medical waste incinerator; |
31 | (xiii) Concentrated animal feeding operation; or |
32 | (ix) Chemical manufacturing plant. |
33 | (10) Has a median household income, as calculated by the United States Census Bureau, |
34 | that is no greater than eighty percent (80%) of the statewide median household income, as |
| LC005139 - Page 14 of 42 |
1 | calculated by the United States Census Bureau. |
2 | 42-17.12-4. Environmental burden list. |
3 | (a) On or before January 31, 2023, the department of environmental management shall |
4 | develop, post, and maintain a complete and comprehensive list, known as the environmental burden |
5 | list, on its website of all census tracts that are overburdened communities. |
6 | (b) The department of environmental management shall update the environmental burden |
7 | list on its website at least once every year. |
8 | 42-17.12-5. Creation of the cumulative impact permit. |
9 | The department of environmental management shall create a new permit called a |
10 | "cumulative impact permit." |
11 | 42-17.12-6. Requirement for a cumulative impact permit. |
12 | Any corporation, business, firm, partnership or individual must receive a cumulative |
13 | impact permit from the department of environmental management for: |
14 | (1) The construction of any polluting facility; or |
15 | (2) The expansion of any existing polluting facility. |
16 | 42-17.12-7. Cumulative impact permit denial. |
17 | The department of environmental management shall deny a cumulative impact permit for |
18 | the construction of a new polluting facility or the expansion of an existing polluting facility if that |
19 | polluting facility is located within an overburdened community or within one mile of an |
20 | overburdened community. |
21 | 42-17.12-8. Cumulative impact permit denial override. |
22 | (a) If no fewer than twenty-five percent (25%) of the registered voters of an overburdened |
23 | community, sign a petition to the Rhode Island secretary of state asking them to organize a local |
24 | referendum on whether to grant a cumulative impact permit to a proposed polluting facility within |
25 | that overburdened community, the secretary of state shall organize such a referendum. Only |
26 | registered voters of any overburdened community, which is located within one mile of the polluting |
27 | facility, shall be permitted to vote in the local referendum. All registered voters of any |
28 | overburdened community, which is within one mile of the polluting facility, shall be permitted to |
29 | vote in the referendum. Before the referendum, the department of environmental management shall |
30 | prepare and issue a public report on the environmental effects and public health effects of the |
31 | proposed polluting facility. |
32 | (b) Notwithstanding the requirement of § 42-17.12-7, the department of environmental |
33 | management may issue a cumulative impact permit for the construction of a new polluting facility |
34 | or the expansion of an existing polluting facility, that would be located within an overburdened |
| LC005139 - Page 15 of 42 |
1 | community or within one mile of an overburdened community, if no fewer than sixty-six percent |
2 | (66%) of votes cast in a referendum support granting a cumulative impact permit to the polluting |
3 | facility. |
4 | 42-17.12-9. Additional conditions. |
5 | As part of issuing a cumulative impact permit, the department of environmental |
6 | management may impose conditions on the construction and operation of a polluting facility, if the |
7 | administrator determines that those conditions will protect public health. |
8 | 42-17.12-10. Cumulative impact permit fee. |
9 | The department of environmental management shall charge each cumulative impact permit |
10 | applicant, a fee to cover the entirety of the costs associated with the implementation of this section. |
11 | 42-17.12-11. Technical guidance and regulations. |
12 | (a) The department of environmental management may issue and post on its website, |
13 | technical guidance for compliance with this chapter. |
14 | (b) The department of environmental management shall adopt regulations to carry out this |
15 | chapter. |
16 | 42-17.12-12. Severability. |
17 | (a) If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall not |
18 | be affected thereby. |
19 | (2) If the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held |
20 | invalid, the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected |
21 | thereby. |
22 | SECTION 3. Sections 23-23-2, 23-23-3, 23-23-5, 23-23-5.2, 23-23-14 and 23-23-15 of the |
23 | General Laws in Chapter 23-23 entitled "Air Pollution" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
24 | 23-23-2. Declaration of policy. |
25 | It is declared to be the public policy in the state of Rhode Island to preserve, protect, and |
26 | improve the air resources of the state to promote the public health, welfare, and safety, to prevent |
27 | injury or detriment to human, plant, and animal life, physical property and other resources, and to |
28 | improve the air quality and reduce airborne pollution, including to foster the comfort and |
29 | convenience of the state's inhabitants. The director is authorized to exercise all powers, direct or |
30 | incidental, necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter to assure that the state of Rhode Island |
31 | complies with and exceeds the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq., |
32 | and retains maximum control under this chapter, and receives all desired federal grants, aid, and |
33 | other benefits. |
34 | 23-23-3. Definitions. |
| LC005139 - Page 16 of 42 |
1 | As used in this chapter, the following terms shall, where the context permits, be construed |
2 | as follows: |
3 | (1) "Air contaminant" means soot, cinders, ashes, any dust, fumes, gas, mist, smoke, vapor, |
4 | odor, toxic or radioactive material, particulate matter, or any combination of these. |
5 | (2) "Air pollution" means presence in the outdoor atmosphere of one or more air |
6 | contaminants in sufficient quantities that either alone or in connection with other emissions by |
7 | reason of their concentration and duration, may be injurious to human, plant, or animal life or cause |
8 | damage to property or unreasonably interfere with the enjoyment of life and property. |
9 | (3) "Chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that produces or processes chemicals |
10 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
11 | (4) "Chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores chemicals which are intended |
12 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
13 | (3)(5) "Director" means the director of environmental management or any subordinate or |
14 | subordinates to whom he or she has delegated the powers and duties vested in him or her by this |
15 | chapter. |
16 | (4)(6) "Extremely toxic air contaminant" means any air contaminant that has been |
17 | classified as a potential carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), |
18 | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
19 | (OSHA), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), American Conference of |
20 | Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), or the National Toxicology Program (NTP); or any |
21 | air contaminant that induces mutagenic or teratogenic effects; or any air contaminant that, when |
22 | inhaled, has caused significant chronic adverse effects in test animals; or any air contaminant |
23 | having an acute toxicity of: |
24 | (i) LD50 (oral) less than 500mg/kg; |
25 | (ii) LD50 (inhalation) less than 2000ppm; or |
26 | (iii) LD50 (dermal) less than 1000mg/kg; |
27 | and/or has been adopted by the director pursuant to the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42. |
28 | In addition to the above, it may also include any hazardous air pollutant as defined in § 112(b) of |
29 | the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7412(b). |
30 | (7) "Fossil fuel" means fuel composed of or derived from coal, petroleum, oil, natural gas, |
31 | oil shales, bitumens, or tar sands. |
32 | (8) "Fossil fuel storage facility" means a facility that stores fossil fuel for wholesale |
33 | distribution. |
34 | (5)(9) "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle that is self-propelled and every vehicle that is |
| LC005139 - Page 17 of 42 |
1 | propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails, |
2 | except vehicles moved exclusively by human power and motorized wheelchairs. |
3 | (6)(10) "Open fire" means any fire from which the products of combustion are emitted |
4 | directly into the open air without passing through a stack or chimney. |
5 | (7)(11) "Person" means an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation |
6 | (including a quasi-governmental corporation), partnership, association, syndicate, municipality, |
7 | municipal or state agency, fire district, club, non-profit agency or any subdivision, commission, |
8 | department, bureau, agency, or department of state or federal government (including quasi- |
9 | government corporation), or of any interstate body. |
10 | (8)(12) "Manufactured, unwashed sand" means product resulting from the mechanical |
11 | crushing of rock, boulders, or large cobblestones that has a gradation of fifty percent (50%) or more |
12 | of coarse fraction passing the No. 4 sieve as referenced in the Standard Practice for Classification |
13 | of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System) and American Society of |
14 | Testing and Materials Designations D-2487-06 which has not been subject to a mechanical process |
15 | (using water) that is designed to substantially remove fine fractions passing the No. 200 sieve. |
16 | (13) "Polluting facility" means: |
17 | (i) An electric power plant that produces electricity by combusting any fossil fuel; |
18 | (ii) A waste storage facility; |
19 | (iii) A toxic material storage facility; |
20 | (iv) A fossil fuel storage facility, excluding gas stations which sell gas only at the retail |
21 | level for use in automobiles and excluding sites that store fossil fuels that are used exclusively for |
22 | transporting goods or other items into the port of Providence or out of the port of Providence; |
23 | (v) A fossil fuel production facility; |
24 | (vi) A fossil fuel refinery; |
25 | (vii) A chemical manufacturing plant; |
26 | (viii) A chemical storage facility; |
27 | (ix) A commercial manufacturing facility; |
28 | (x) A scrap metal storage facility; |
29 | (xi) A scrap metal processing facility; |
30 | (xii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt storage facility; |
31 | (xiii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt processing facility; |
32 | (ix) A cement, concrete, or asphalt production facility; |
33 | (x) An incinerator, including, but not limited to, a medical waste incinerator; |
34 | (xi) A resource recovery facility; |
| LC005139 - Page 18 of 42 |
1 | (xii) A combustor; |
2 | (xiii) A transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
3 | (xiv) A landfill, including, but not limited to, a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, |
4 | demolition debris, or solid waste; |
5 | (xv) A scrap metal recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
6 | material per day; or |
7 | (xvi) A wood recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
8 | material per day. |
9 | 23-23-5. Powers and duties of the director. |
10 | In addition to the other powers and duties granted in this chapter, the director shall have |
11 | and may exercise the following powers and duties: |
12 | (1) To exercise general supervision of the administration and enforcement of this chapter |
13 | and all rules and regulations and orders promulgated under this chapter; |
14 | (2) To develop comprehensive programs, for the prevention, control, and abatement of new |
15 | or existing pollution of the air resources of this state on the basis of air quality standards adopted |
16 | by the environmental standards board; |
17 | (3) To advise, consult, and cooperate with the cities and towns and other agencies of the |
18 | state, federal government, and other states and interstate agencies, and with effective groups in |
19 | industries in furthering the purposes of this chapter; |
20 | (4) To promulgate standards of air quality adopted by the environmental standards board; |
21 | (5) To hold hearings, to issue notices of hearings and subpoenas requiring the attendance |
22 | of witnesses and the production of evidence, and to administer oaths and to take testimony as he or |
23 | she may deem necessary; |
24 | (6) To encourage and conduct studies and research on air pollution and to collect and |
25 | disseminate this information; |
26 | (7) To enter at all reasonable times in or upon any private or public property, except private |
27 | residences, and to detain and inspect any motor vehicle for the purpose of inspecting or |
28 | investigating any condition which the director shall believe to be either an air pollution source or |
29 | in violation of any of the rules or regulations or orders promulgated under this chapter; |
30 | (8) To issue, modify, amend, or revoke any orders prohibiting or abating air pollution in |
31 | accordance with the purposes of this chapter and the rules and regulations promulgated under this |
32 | chapter. In making the orders authorized by this chapter, the director shall consider all relevant |
33 | factors including, but not limited to, population density, air pollution levels, and the character and |
34 | degree of injury to health or physical property; |
| LC005139 - Page 19 of 42 |
1 | (9) To accept, receive, and administer grants or other funds or gifts for the purpose of |
2 | carrying out any of the functions of this chapter including any moneys given under any federal law |
3 | to the state for air pollution control activities, surveys, or programs; |
4 | (10) To require the prior submission and approval of plans, specifications, and other data |
5 | relative to the construction, installation, maintenance, and modification of air pollution control |
6 | systems, devices, or any of its parts, and to inspect the installations and modifications to insure |
7 | ensure compliance with the approved plans and to require approval to operate the system; |
8 | (11) To require the prior submission and approval of plans, specifications, and other data |
9 | relative to the construction, installation, maintenance, or modification of any machine, equipment, |
10 | device, article, or facility capable of becoming a source of air pollution, subject to the promulgation |
11 | of rules and regulations under this chapter defining the classes and types of machines, equipment, |
12 | devices, articles, or facilities subject to this approval; |
13 | (12) To make, issue, and amend rules and regulations consistent with this chapter for the |
14 | prevention, control, abatement, and limitation of air pollution, and the enforcement of orders issued |
15 | under this chapter. Those rules and regulations for the control of pollution need not be uniform |
16 | throughout the state. The director may prohibit emissions, discharges and/or releases from specific |
17 | persons, machines, facilities, devices, or any other sources of air contaminants and may also require |
18 | specific control technology. In addition, the director may regulate the emission characteristics of |
19 | all fuels used by stationary and mobile sources of air contaminants, provided, the specific control |
20 | technology and emission characteristics of fuels shall not be more less stringent than the mandatory |
21 | standards established by federal law or regulation, unless it can be shown that the control |
22 | technology and emission characteristics of fuels are needed for the attainment or maintenance of |
23 | air quality standards. Variations of the standards may be based on considerations of population |
24 | density, meteorological conditions, contaminant emissions, air quality, land development plans, |
25 | and any other factors that may be relevant to the protection of the air resources of the state; |
26 | (13) To consult the board on the policies and plans for the control and prevention of air |
27 | pollution; The director may regulate the emission characteristics of all fuels used by mobile sources |
28 | of air contaminants; provided that, those regulations are consistent with the federal law and federal |
29 | regulation. Variations of the standards may be based on considerations of population density, |
30 | meteorological conditions, contaminant emissions, air quality, land development plans, and any |
31 | other factors that may be relevant to the protection of the air resources of the state; |
32 | (14) To exercise all incidental powers necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter; |
33 | (15) To require that an approval to operate be obtained for any machine, equipment, device, |
34 | article, or facility, or any source which is emitting any extremely toxic air contaminant of any air |
| LC005139 - Page 20 of 42 |
1 | contaminant, subject to the promulgation of rules and regulations under this chapter defining the |
2 | categories and capacities of machines, equipment, devices, articles, or facilities subject to this |
3 | permission. Such regulations need not be uniform across the state. Any approval issued may set |
4 | forth inspection, monitoring, compliance certification and reporting requirements to assure |
5 | compliance with approval terms and conditions; |
6 | (16) To require any person who owns or operates any machine, equipment, device, article, |
7 | or facility which has the potential to emit any air contaminant, or which is emitting any extremely |
8 | toxic air contaminant, to install, maintain, and use air pollution emission monitoring devices and to |
9 | submit periodic reports on the nature and amounts of air contaminant emission from the machine, |
10 | equipment, device, article, or facility; |
11 | (17) To require, as a condition, to the grant of any approval, license, or permit required by |
12 | this chapter, that the person applying for an approval, license, or permit, first pay to the director a |
13 | reasonable fee based on the costs of reviewing and acting upon the application and based on the |
14 | costs of implementing and enforcing the terms of the approval, license, or permit; |
15 | (18) In addition, the director shall collect an annual operating fee from sources subject to |
16 | the requirements of an approval to operate under this chapter and subject to the requirements of |
17 | title V of the Clean Air Amendments of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 7661 et seq. The fee shall be calculated |
18 | by the director on a weight basis for pollutants actually emitted, after controls. This operating fee |
19 | shall be determined by regulation and shall be consistent with the fee required under 42 U.S.C. § |
20 | 7661a(b)(3)(B). The operating fees collected shall not be in excess of the amount needed to cover |
21 | all reasonable (direct and indirect) costs required to develop and administer an operating permit |
22 | program pursuant to the requirements of title V, of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990; |
23 | (19) No person shall operate any machine, facility, or device which is subject to approval |
24 | or permit by the department without an approval or permit of the department. No source may |
25 | operate after an approval or permit has been denied. Any approval or permit issued under this |
26 | section may be suspended, revoked or amended by the director at any time upon a showing, after |
27 | notice and hearing, that the permittee has failed to comply with the provisions of this chapter, rules |
28 | and regulations promulgated by the director pursuant to this chapter, or the terms and conditions of |
29 | the approval or permit, or upon a showing, after notice and hearing, that the continued operation of |
30 | the approved or permitted source constitutes a threat to the health and safety of the public or to the |
31 | environment. In any proceeding for revocation, suspension, or amendment of an approval or permit |
32 | pursuant to this subsection, the director will provide the affected party with the opportunity for an |
33 | adequate hearing. No revocation, annulment, or withdrawal of any approval or permit is lawful |
34 | unless, the agency sent notice by mail to the permittee or possessor of an approval of the facts or |
| LC005139 - Page 21 of 42 |
1 | conduct or violation which warrant the action, and the permittee or possessor of an approval is |
2 | given an opportunity at hearing to show compliance with all lawful requirements for the retention |
3 | of the license. If the agency finds that public health, safety, or welfare imperatively requires |
4 | emergency action, and incorporates a finding to that effect in its order, summary suspension of |
5 | approval or permit may be ordered pending proceedings for revocation or other action. These |
6 | proceedings shall be promptly instituted and determined; |
7 | (20) No approval or permit required under this chapter shall be issued by the director if the |
8 | approval or permit contains provisions that are determined by the administrator of the |
9 | Environmental Protection Agency not to be in compliance with the requirements of the federal |
10 | Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C § 7401 et seq.). The administrator of the EPA shall provide a statement |
11 | of the reasons for the objection to the director. A copy of the objection and statement shall be |
12 | provided to the applicant. The director shall withhold the issuance of the approval or permit until |
13 | the applicant has successfully satisfied the concerns of the administrator of EPA or his or her |
14 | designee; |
15 | (21) The department may establish a small business stationary source technical and |
16 | environmental compliance assistance program. The department may use general revenue funding |
17 | to cover the cost of administering this program. The department shall have the power to give grants, |
18 | and conduct educational and/or outreach programs; |
19 | (22) To promulgate regulations to apply at the earliest to the 1993 model year and beyond, |
20 | relating to emission standards for new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines, warranties |
21 | for motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, recall of motor vehicles, accreditation of motor vehicle |
22 | parts, and any other matters relating to the enforcement of these regulations, provided, the |
23 | regulations so promulgated shall not be more stringent than the mandatory standards established |
24 | by federal law or regulation, unless the regulations are needed for the attainment or maintenance |
25 | of air quality standards; |
26 | (23) Nothing in this section shall allow the department to administer an inspection and |
27 | maintenance program for automobiles without approval of the general assembly; |
28 | (24) In addition to the powers and duties enumerated in this section, the director shall have |
29 | all appropriate power to adopt rules, regulations, procedures, programs, and standards as mandated |
30 | by the authorization of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq. |
31 | 23-23-5.2. Mandamus. |
32 | In the event that the director shall fail to issue the permit or deny the license then the |
33 | applicant or other interested person may petition the superior court to issue its writ of mandamus |
34 | ordering the director or some suitable person to immediately issue the license or denial. In the event |
| LC005139 - Page 22 of 42 |
1 | that the director shall fail to revoke a license or permit, then any interested person may petition the |
2 | superior court to issue a writ of mandamus, ordering the director or some other appropriate person |
3 | to immediately revoke the license. |
4 | 23-23-14. Penalties. |
5 | (a) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, any Any person who shall violate |
6 | an order of the director or any rule, regulation, or other program requirement, or permit, or approval, |
7 | or any of the prohibitions of this chapter shall be punished by an administrative or civil penalty of |
8 | not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) and every person shall be deemed guilty of a separate |
9 | and distinct offense for each day during which the violation shall be repeated or continued. |
10 | (b) The director or any agent or employee of the director or any person or his or her agent |
11 | who shall, except in the enforcement of this chapter or in the performance of official duties under |
12 | this chapter, disclose any information relating to secret processes or methods of manufacture or |
13 | production obtained in the course of inspecting or investigating any source or alleged source of air |
14 | pollution, or who shall violate § 23-23-13 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished |
15 | by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500). |
16 | (c) Any person obstructing, hindering, or in any way causing to be obstructed or hindered, |
17 | the director or any agent or employee of the director in the performance of their duties or who shall |
18 | refuse to permit the director or any of his or her agents entrance into any premises, buildings, or |
19 | other places belonging to or controlled by that person in the performance of his or her duties, or |
20 | who shall refuse to furnish the information requested or to make a test provided for in this chapter |
21 | shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500). |
22 | (d) Any person convicted under the provisions of § 23-23-11 shall be punished by a fine |
23 | of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or by imprisonment of one year, or both fine and |
24 | imprisonment, and every person shall be deemed guilty of a separate and distinct offense for each |
25 | day during which the violation shall be repeated or continued. |
26 | (e) Any person who knowingly makes a false statement, representation, or certification in |
27 | any application, record, report, plan, permit, or document filed, maintained and used for purposes |
28 | under this chapter shall be guilty of a felony, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten |
29 | thousand dollars ($10,000) or by imprisonment of one year or both fine and imprisonment, and |
30 | every person shall be guilty of a separate and distinct offense for each day during which the |
31 | violation shall be repeated or continued. |
32 | (f) Any person who violates an order, rule, or regulation, promulgated by the director |
33 | pursuant to § 23-23-32, shall be punished by an administrative or civil penalty of not less than |
34 | ninety thousand dollars ($90,000) and not more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), and |
| LC005139 - Page 23 of 42 |
1 | every person shall be deemed guilty of a separate and distinct offense for each day during which |
2 | the violation shall be repeated or continued. This civil penalty must be paid not more than fifteen |
3 | (15) days from the day on which the violation occurred. |
4 | 23-23-15. Variances. |
5 | (a) Upon application and after a hearing, the director may suspend the enforcement of the |
6 | whole or any part of this chapter or of any rule or regulation promulgated under this chapter in the |
7 | case of any person who shall show that the enforcement of this chapter would constitute undue |
8 | hardship on that person without a corresponding benefit or advantage obtained by it; provided, that |
9 | no suspension shall be entered deferring compliance with a requirement of this chapter or the rules |
10 | and regulations promulgated under this chapter, unless that deferral is consistent with the provisions |
11 | and procedures of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq. No suspension shall be |
12 | entered deferring compliance with a requirement of this chapter created by regulations pursuant to |
13 | § 23-23-32. No suspension shall be entered deferring compliance for any rule or regulation for an |
14 | industrial facility located within the area specified in § 23-23-32(a). |
15 | (b) In determining under what conditions and to what extent the variance may be granted, |
16 | the director shall give due recognition to the progress which the person requesting the variance |
17 | shall have made in eliminating or preventing air pollution. In this case, the director shall consider |
18 | the reasonableness of granting a variance conditioned on the person's effecting a partial abatement |
19 | of the pollution or a progressive abatement of the pollution or any other circumstances that the |
20 | director may deem reasonable. No variance shall be granted to any person applying for it who is |
21 | causing air pollution which creates a danger to public health or safety. |
22 | (c) Any variance granted under this chapter shall be granted for any period of time, not |
23 | exceeding one year, as the director shall specify, but any variance may be continued from year to |
24 | year. No variance shall be construed as to relieve the person receiving it from any liability imposed |
25 | by law for the commission or maintenance of a nuisance nor shall there be any appeal from a denial |
26 | of a variance. |
27 | (d) Notwithstanding the limitations of this section, the director may, upon application, defer |
28 | compliance with the whole or any part of this chapter or of any rule or regulation promulgated |
29 | under this chapter where compliance is not possible because of breakdowns or malfunctions of |
30 | equipment, acts of God, or other unavoidable casualties; provided, that this order shall not defer |
31 | compliance for more than three (3) months. |
32 | SECTION 4. Sections 46-12-1 and 46-12-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 46-12 entitled |
33 | "Water Pollution" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
34 | 46-12-1. Definitions. |
| LC005139 - Page 24 of 42 |
1 | As used in this chapter the following terms shall, where the context permits, be construed |
2 | as follows: |
3 | (1) "Boat" means any vessel or water craft whether moved by oars, paddles, sails, or other |
4 | power mechanism, inboard or outboard, or any other vessel or structure floating upon the water |
5 | whether or not capable of self locomotion, including house boats, barges, and similar floating |
6 | objects. |
7 | (2) "Chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that produces or processes chemicals |
8 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
9 | (3) "Chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores chemicals which are intended |
10 | for wholesale or retail distribution. |
11 | (2)(4) "Clean Water Act" refers to the federal law enacted under 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq., |
12 | and all amendments thereto. |
13 | (3)(5)(i) "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management or |
14 | any subordinate or subordinates to whom the director has delegated the powers and duties vested |
15 | in him or her by this chapter. |
16 | (ii) Wherever reference is made in this chapter to any order of the director and the order |
17 | shall have been modified by the court, the order referred to shall be taken to be the order of the |
18 | director as so modified. |
19 | (4)(6) "Discharge" means the addition of any pollutant to the waters from any point source. |
20 | (5)(7) "Effluent limitation" means any restriction or prohibitions, established in accord |
21 | with the provisions of this chapter or under the federal Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq., |
22 | on quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, radiological, and other |
23 | constituents which are discharged into the waters. |
24 | (24)(8) "Eutrophication" means a reduction of dissolved oxygen from excessive plant |
25 | growth, chiefly algae, typically as an effect of increased nutrient loadings, to levels that impair the |
26 | viability of other aquatic life. |
27 | (6)(9) "Fecal coliform bacteria" means organisms within the intestines of warm blooded |
28 | animals that indicate the presence of fecal material, and the potential presence of organisms capable |
29 | of causing disease in humans. |
30 | (10) "Fossil fuel" means fuel composed of or derived from coal, petroleum, oil, natural gas, |
31 | oil shales, bitumens, or tar sands. |
32 | (11) "Fossil fuel storage facility" means a facility that stores fossil fuel for wholesale |
33 | distribution. |
34 | (7)(12) "Groundwaters" includes all underground waters of whatever nature. |
| LC005139 - Page 25 of 42 |
1 | (8)(13) "Marine Sanitation Device-Type I" means a marine toilet which, under prescribed |
2 | test conditions, will produce an effluent that will not exceed a fecal coliform bacteria count of one |
3 | thousand (1,000) parts per one hundred (100) milliliters and have no visible solids. |
4 | (9)(14) "Marine Sanitation Device-Type II" means a marine toilet which, under prescribed |
5 | test conditions will produce an effluent that does not exceed a fecal coliform bacteria count of two |
6 | hundred (200) parts per one hundred (100) milliliters, and have suspended solids not greater than |
7 | one hundred and fifty (150) milligrams per liter. |
8 | (10)(15) "Marine Sanitation Device-Type III" means a marine toilet which is designed to |
9 | prevent the discharge from the boat of any treated or untreated sewage, or any waste derived from |
10 | sewage. |
11 | (11)(16) "Marine toilet" means any toilet on or within any boat as that term is defined |
12 | herein. |
13 | (12)(17) "No discharge zone" means an environmentally sensitive area of the waters of the |
14 | state which has been declared by the department of environmental management pursuant to the |
15 | Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq., to be an area in which any discharge of sewage is |
16 | prohibited. |
17 | (25)(18) "Nutrient" means organic materials and chemicals, including especially nitrogen |
18 | and phosphorous and their compounds, that are biologically reactive and necessary for life. |
19 | (13)(19) "Person" includes an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation |
20 | (including a quasi government corporation) partnership, association, syndicate, municipality, |
21 | municipal or state agency, fire district, club, nonprofit agency, or any subdivision, commission, |
22 | department, bureau, agency, or department of state or federal government (including any quasi |
23 | government corporation) or of any interstate body. |
24 | (14)(20) "Point source" means any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, |
25 | including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, |
26 | container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft |
27 | from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from |
28 | irrigated agriculture. |
29 | (15)(21) "Pollutant" means any material or effluent which may alter the chemical, physical, |
30 | biological, or radiological characteristics and/or integrity of water, including, but not limited to, |
31 | dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, |
32 | chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, |
33 | cellar dirt or industrial, municipal, agricultural, or other waste petroleum or petroleum products, |
34 | including but not limited to oil. |
| LC005139 - Page 26 of 42 |
1 | (16) (22)"Polluting" means the causing of pollution. |
2 | (17)(23) "Pollution" means the man made or man induced alteration of the chemical, |
3 | physical, biological, and radiological integrity of water. |
4 | (18)(24) "Publicly owned treatment works" means any facility for the treatment of |
5 | pollutants owned by the state or any political subdivision thereof, municipality, or other public |
6 | entity, including any quasi government corporation. |
7 | (19)(25) "Release" means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, |
8 | injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing of any pollutant into a surface water or |
9 | wetland, or onto or below the land surface. |
10 | (20)(26) "Schedule of compliance" means a schedule of remedial measures including an |
11 | enforceable sequence of actions, or operations, leading to compliance with an effluent limitation or |
12 | any other limitation, prohibition, or standard. |
13 | (21)(27) "Sewage" means fecal material and human waste, or wastes from toilets and other |
14 | receptacles intended to receive or retain body waste, and any wastes, including wastes from human |
15 | households, commercial establishments, and industries, and storm water runoff, that are discharged |
16 | to or otherwise enter a publicly owned treatment works. |
17 | (22)(28) "Underground storage tank" means any one or combination of tanks (including |
18 | underground pipes connected thereto) which is used to contain an accumulation of petroleum |
19 | product or hazardous materials, and the volume of which (including the volume of the underground |
20 | pipes connected thereto) is ten percent (10%) or more beneath the surface of the ground. |
21 | (23)(29) "Waters" includes all surface waters including all waters of the territorial sea, |
22 | tidewaters, all inland waters of any river, stream, brook, pond, or lake, and wetlands, as well as all |
23 | groundwaters. |
24 | (27) "Polluting facility" means: |
25 | (i) An electric power plant that produces electricity by combusting any fossil fuel; |
26 | (ii) A waste storage facility; |
27 | (iii) A toxic material storage facility; |
28 | (iv) A fossil fuel storage facility, excluding gas stations which sell gas only at the retail |
29 | level for use in automobiles and excluding sites that store fossil fuels that are used exclusively for |
30 | transporting goods or other items into the port of Providence or out of the port of Providence; |
31 | (v) A fossil fuel production facility; |
32 | (vi) A fossil fuel refinery; |
33 | (vii) A chemical manufacturing plant; |
34 | (viii) A chemical storage facility; |
| LC005139 - Page 27 of 42 |
1 | (ix) A commercial manufacturing facility; |
2 | (x) A scrap metal storage facility; |
3 | (xi) A scrap metal processing facility; |
4 | (xii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt storage facility; |
5 | (xiii) A cement, concrete, or asphalt processing facility; |
6 | (xiv) A cement, concrete, or asphalt production facility; |
7 | (xv) An incinerator, including, but not limited to, a medical waste incinerator; |
8 | (xvi) A resource recovery facility; |
9 | (xvii) A combustor; |
10 | (xviii) A transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
11 | (xix) A landfill, including, but not limited to, a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, |
12 | demolition debris, or solid waste; |
13 | (xx) A scrap metal recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
14 | material per day; or |
15 | (xxi) A wood recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
16 | material per day. |
17 | 46-12-3. Powers and duties of the director. |
18 | In addition to the other powers granted the director of the department of environmental |
19 | management herein, the director shall have and may exercise the following powers and duties: |
20 | (1) To exercise general supervision of the administration and enforcement of this chapter, |
21 | and all rules and regulations and orders promulgated hereunder; |
22 | (2) To develop comprehensive programs for the prevention, control, and abatement of new |
23 | or existing pollution of the waters of this state; |
24 | (3) To advise, consult, and cooperate with other agencies of the state, the federal |
25 | government, other states, and interstate agencies and with affected groups, political subdivisions, |
26 | and industries in the furtherance of the purposes of this chapter; |
27 | (4) To accept and administer loans and grants from the federal government and from other |
28 | sources, public or private, for the carrying out of any of its functions, which loans and grants shall |
29 | not be expended for other than the purposes for which provided; |
30 | (5) To encourage, participate in, or conduct studies, investigations, research, and |
31 | demonstrations relating to water pollution and its causes, prevention, control, and abatement |
32 | thereof, as he or she may deem advisable and necessary for the discharge of his or her duties under |
33 | this chapter; |
34 | (6) To collect and disseminate information relating to water pollution and the prevention, |
| LC005139 - Page 28 of 42 |
1 | control, and abatement thereof; |
2 | (7) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (24) below, to promulgate standards of |
3 | water quality and to classify the waters of the state accordingly; |
4 | (8) To administer state grants to municipalities and political subdivisions for the |
5 | construction of sewage treatment works; |
6 | (9) To hold hearings, to issue notices of hearings and subpoenas requiring the attendance |
7 | of witnesses and the production of evidence, and to administer oaths and to take testimony, that he |
8 | or she may deem necessary; |
9 | (10) To approve, pursuant to standards adopted by the environmental standards board, the |
10 | construction, modification, and operation of discharge systems or any parts thereof, and to require |
11 | the prior submission of plans, specifications, and other data relative to discharge systems and to |
12 | require that the plans, specifications, or other data be certified by a professional engineer registered |
13 | in Rhode Island, and to inspect the systems either under construction or in operation; |
14 | (11) To issue a permit for the discharge of any pollutant or combination of pollutants or to |
15 | issue a general permit authorizing a category of discharges within a geographical area upon |
16 | conditions as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and of the Clean Water |
17 | Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq., which may include, but not be limited to, providing for specific |
18 | effluent limitations and levels of treatment technology, monitoring, recording, and reporting |
19 | standards, or to deny a permit or general permit; |
20 | (12) To renew, revoke, modify, or suspend in whole or in part any permit, order, or |
21 | schedule of compliance pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, and any rules and regulations |
22 | promulgated thereunder; |
23 | (13) To approve the discharge of pollutants into the waters of this state pursuant to all |
24 | applicable standards; |
25 | (14) To require publicly owned treatment works to adopt and implement requirements |
26 | regarding the pretreatment of pollutants consistent with existing federal requirements, and to |
27 | require compliance by all persons with pretreatment requirements; |
28 | (15) To issue such orders as may be necessary to prevent the unauthorized construction, |
29 | modification, or operation of discharge systems and the discharge of pollutants into the waters of |
30 | this state; |
31 | (16) To require proper maintenance and operation of discharge systems; |
32 | (17) To consult the advisory council on environmental affairs on the policies and plans for |
33 | the control and abatement of pollution; |
34 | (18) To make, issue, amend, and revoke reasonable rules and regulations for the prevention, |
| LC005139 - Page 29 of 42 |
1 | control, and abatement of pollution and the enforcement of orders issued hereunder, including |
2 | public notice and comment requirements. Such rules and regulations need not be uniform |
3 | throughout the state; |
4 | (19) To exercise all incidental powers necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter; |
5 | (20) To approve the operation of treatment facilities, pursuant to the provisions of chapters |
6 | 3, 11, and 18 of title 44; |
7 | (21) To promulgate and enforce rules and regulations to govern the location, design, |
8 | construction, maintenance, and operation of underground storage facilities used for storing |
9 | petroleum products or hazardous materials to prevent, abate, and remedy the discharge of petroleum |
10 | products and hazardous materials into the waters of the state; provided that all underground storage |
11 | tanks and associated piping installed after September 1, 1991, shall provide for secondary |
12 | containment in a manner approved by the director; and provided, that single-walled tanks and/or |
13 | piping installed prior to May 8, 1985, shall be permitted to remain in use until December 22, 2017, |
14 | and single-walled tanks and/or piping installed between May 8, 1985, and July 20, 1992, shall be |
15 | permitted to remain in use for thirty-two (32) years from the date of installation if the |
16 | owner/operator of the single-walled tank or piping performs an annual facility compliance |
17 | inspection to ensure structural integrity; and provided, further, that the installation of underground |
18 | storage tanks is prohibited at sites located within wellhead protection areas for community water |
19 | supply wells as designated by the director and consistent with chapter 13.1 of this title. This |
20 | prohibition shall not apply to the replacement or upgrading of existing underground storage tanks |
21 | installed prior to July 1, 1991, provided that such activity take place in accordance with all |
22 | applicable state and federal regulations. The department of environmental management shall by |
23 | January 1, 2011, develop recommendations for phasing out the stage II vapor recovery program |
24 | with the required removal of single-walled underground storage tanks in order to achieve the |
25 | objectives of both program efforts in a cost effective and efficient manner. The department of |
26 | environmental management shall report its findings to the chair of the house committee on |
27 | environment and natural resources and to the chair of the senate committee on environment and |
28 | agriculture on or before January 1, 2011; |
29 | (22) To promulgate and enforce rules and regulations to govern the installation, |
30 | construction, operation, and abandonment of monitoring wells; |
31 | (23) To promulgate and enforce rules and regulations to govern the location, design, |
32 | installation, operation and maintenance of subsurface disposal systems which receive the discharge |
33 | of pollutants and of subsurface containment systems, including underground storage tanks, used to |
34 | contain or control the discharge of pollutants below the ground surface. |
| LC005139 - Page 30 of 42 |
1 | (24) In connection with the dredging and transportation and disposal of dredge material, to |
2 | promulgate and adopt water quality standards that conform with the federal Environmental |
3 | Protection Agency's applicable water quality rules and regulations and guidelines, including, but |
4 | not limited to, the federal Environmental Protection Agency's rules and regulations and guidelines |
5 | for deviating from said standards. The department of environmental management shall also apply |
6 | the applicable standards and guidelines and adopt the procedures as set forth in the manual |
7 | identified as "Evaluation of Dredge Material for Purpose of Ocean Disposal. Testing Manual Put |
8 | Together by EPA and Army Corps of Engineers in February, 1991" and any amendments or |
9 | supplements or successor manuals thereto to the extent that the same are relevant to dredging, |
10 | transportation and/or disposal of dredge materials in tidal waters or any documents or manuals |
11 | approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency relating to dredging, transportation |
12 | and/or disposal of dredge materials; and |
13 | (25) To prepare and to submit to the governor, the speaker of the house, the president of |
14 | the senate, the chairperson of the house committee on environment and natural resources and the |
15 | chairperson of the senate committee on environment and agriculture, not later than February 1, |
16 | 2005, a plan, including an implementation program with cost estimates, recommended sources of |
17 | funding, measurable goals, objectives, and targets and limitations for nutrient introduction into the |
18 | waters of the state, for the purposes of: (i) managing nutrient loadings and the effects of nutrients |
19 | in the waters of the state; and (ii) preventing and eliminating conditions of eutrophication. |
20 | SECTION 5. Section 42-16.1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-16.1 entitled |
21 | "Department of Labor and Training" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
22 | 42-16.1-2. Functions of director. |
23 | The director of labor and training shall: |
24 | (1) Have all the powers and duties formerly vested by law in the director of labor with |
25 | regard to factory inspectors and steam boiler inspectors, and such other duties as may be by law |
26 | conferred upon the department; |
27 | (2) Administer the labor laws of this state concerning women and children and be |
28 | responsible for satisfactory working conditions of women and children employed in industry in this |
29 | state by a division in the department which shall be known as the division of labor standards; |
30 | (3) Administer the act relating to state wage payment and wage collection; |
31 | (4) Have all of the powers and duties formerly vested in the director of the department of |
32 | labor and administer those responsibilities set forth in chapters 29 -- 38, inclusive, of title 28; |
33 | (5) Have all the powers and duties formerly vested by law in the director of employment |
34 | and training and administer those responsibilities set forth in chapters 39 -- 44, inclusive, of title |
| LC005139 - Page 31 of 42 |
1 | 28 and chapter 102 of title 42. |
2 | (6) Provide to the department of administration any information, records or documents they |
3 | certify as necessary to investigate suspected misclassification of employee status, wage and hour |
4 | violations, or prevailing wage violations subject to their jurisdiction, even if deemed confidential |
5 | under applicable law, provided that the confidentiality of such materials shall be maintained, to the |
6 | extent required of the releasing department by any federal or state law or regulation, by all state |
7 | departments to which the materials are released and no such information shall be publicly disclosed, |
8 | except to the extent necessary for the requesting department or agency to adjudicate a violation of |
9 | applicable law. The certification must include a representation that there is probable cause to |
10 | believe that a violation has occurred. State departments sharing this information or materials may |
11 | enter into written agreements via memorandums of understanding to ensure the safeguarding of |
12 | such released information or materials. |
13 | (7) Have the power to enter contracts, hire employees, hire contractors, promulgate rules |
14 | and regulations, levy fines, adjudicate administrative cases, or take any other lawful action in order |
15 | to administer the just transition program, pursuant to § 42-16.1-21. |
16 | SECTION 6. Chapter 23-23 of the General Laws entitled "Air Pollution" is hereby |
17 | amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
18 | 23-23-32. Specific air contaminant regulations. |
19 | (a) No later than the first day of November in the calendar year of 2023, the director shall |
20 | adopt regulations that shall apply only to polluting facilities in the area composed of the following |
21 | census block groups from the 2010 census: |
22 | (1) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
23 | (2) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
24 | (3) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
25 | (4) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
26 | (5) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
27 | (6) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
28 | (7) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
29 | (8) Census Tract 4, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
30 | (9) Census Tract 4, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
31 | (10) Census Tract 4, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
32 | (11) Census Tract 4, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
33 | (12) Census Tract 5, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
34 | (13) Census Tract 5, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
| LC005139 - Page 32 of 42 |
1 | (14) Census Tract 5, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
2 | (15) Census Tract 6, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
3 | (16) Census Tract 6, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
4 | (17) Census Tract 7, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
5 | (18) Census Tract 7, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; and |
6 | (19) Census Tract 7, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island. |
7 | (b) The regulations created by the director under § 23-23-32(a), shall prohibit all industrial |
8 | facilities within the area specified in § 23-23-32(a) from emitting more than one pound (1 lb.) per |
9 | year of any of the following air pollutants: |
10 | (1) Carbon monoxide; |
11 | (2) Nitrogen dioxide; |
12 | (3) Sulfur dioxide; |
13 | (4) Lead; |
14 | (5) Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal ten |
15 | (10) micrometers, as measured by a method used by the administrator of the U.S. environmental |
16 | protection agency, to measure the size of particulate matter, pursuant to 42 U.S. Code § 7602; |
17 | (6) Any air pollutant defined by the administrator of the U.S. environmental protection |
18 | agency as a "volatile organic compound" pursuant to 42. U.S. Code § 7412; and |
19 | (7) Any air pollutant categorized by the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection |
20 | Agency as a "hazardous air pollutant" pursuant to 42. U.S. Code § 7412. |
21 | (c) The director shall, as appropriate, amend or revoke any licenses or permits previously |
22 | provided to any industrial facilities to ensure that such facilities are in compliance with the emission |
23 | limits specified in this section and any regulations promulgated thereunder. |
24 | (d) The director shall, as appropriate, amend Rhode Island's state implementation plan, |
25 | under the federal Clean Air Act, 42 U.S. Code § 7401 et seq., to reflect and incorporate the emission |
26 | limits specified in this section and any regulations promulgated thereunder. |
27 | 23-23-33. Severability. |
28 | (a) If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall not |
29 | be affected thereby. |
30 | (b) If the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held |
31 | invalid, the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected |
32 | thereby. |
33 | SECTION 7. Chapter 42-16.1 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Labor and |
34 | Training" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
| LC005139 - Page 33 of 42 |
1 | 42-16.1-20. Definitions. |
2 | (a) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "chemical manufacturing plant" means a facility that |
3 | produces or processes chemicals for wholesale or retail distribution. |
4 | (b) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "chemical storage facility" means a facility that stores |
5 | chemicals which are intended for wholesale or retail distribution. |
6 | (c) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "enrollee" means a just transition worker who is |
7 | enrolled in the just transition program. |
8 | (d) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "fossil fuel" means fuel composed of or derived from |
9 | coal, petroleum, oil, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, or tar sands. |
10 | (e) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "fossil fuel storage facility" means a facility that |
11 | stores fossil fuel for wholesale distribution. |
12 | (f) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "just transition salary" means the just transition salary |
13 | received by enrollees, pursuant to § 42-16.1-21(i). |
14 | (g) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "just transition worker" means: |
15 | (1) Any worker who is employed to work at, in, or with an industrial facility within the just |
16 | transition program zone for at least eight (8) hours per week, as determined by the director; and |
17 | (2) Any worker who was formerly employed to work at, in, or with an industrial facility, |
18 | within the just transition program zone, for at least eight (8) hours per week, as determined by the |
19 | director, and who lost their job after the enactment of this section. |
20 | (h) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "Just Transition Program Zone" means the geographic |
21 | area composed of the following census block groups from the 2010 census: |
22 | (1) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
23 | (2) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
24 | (3) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
25 | (4) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
26 | (5) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
27 | (6) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
28 | (7) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
29 | (8) Census Tract 4, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
30 | (9) Census Tract 4, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
31 | (10) Census Tract 4, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
32 | (11) Census Tract 4, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
33 | (12) Census Tract 5, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
34 | (13) Census Tract 5, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
| LC005139 - Page 34 of 42 |
1 | (14) Census Tract 5, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
2 | (15) Census Tract 6, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
3 | (16) Census Tract 6, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
4 | (17) Census Tract 7, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
5 | (18) Census Tract 7, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; and |
6 | (19) Census Tract 7, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island. |
7 | (i) For the purposes of § 42-16.1-21, "polluting facilities" means: |
8 | (1) An electric power plant that produces electricity by combusting any fossil fuel; |
9 | (2) A waste storage facility; |
10 | (3) A toxic material storage facility; |
11 | (4) A fossil fuel storage facility, excluding gas stations which sell gas only at the retail |
12 | level for use in automobiles and excluding sites that store fossil fuels that are used exclusively for |
13 | transporting goods or other items into the port of Providence or out of the port of Providence; |
14 | (5) A fossil fuel production facility; |
15 | (6) A fossil fuel refinery; |
16 | (7) A chemical manufacturing plant; |
17 | (8) A chemical storage facility; |
18 | (9) A commercial manufacturing facility; |
19 | (10) A scrap metal storage facility; |
20 | (11) A scrap metal processing facility; |
21 | (12) A cement, concrete, or asphalt storage facility; |
22 | (13) A cement, concrete, or asphalt processing facility; |
23 | (14) A cement, concrete, or asphalt production facility; |
24 | (15) An incinerator, including, but not limited to, a medical waste incinerator; |
25 | (16) A resource recovery facility; |
26 | (17) A combustor; |
27 | (18) A transfer station or other solid waste facility; |
28 | (19) A landfill including, but not limited to, a landfill that accepts ash, construction debris, |
29 | demolition debris, or solid waste; |
30 | (20) A scrap metal recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
31 | material per day; or |
32 | (21) A wood recycling facility capable of receiving five (5) tons or more of recyclable |
33 | material per day. |
34 | 42-16.1-21. Just transition unit established. |
| LC005139 - Page 35 of 42 |
1 | (a) There shall be within the department of labor and training a "just transition unit." |
2 | (b) The just transition unit shall establish the just transition program. |
3 | (c) The purposes of the just transition program shall be to: |
4 | (1) Organize, coordinate, and finance job retraining for just transition workers, in order to |
5 | equip them with the skills necessary to obtain high-paying jobs in environmentally sustainable |
6 | industries; and |
7 | (2) Compensate just transition workers for participating in job retraining programs and |
8 | provide them with a just transition salary while they search for a new job. |
9 | (d) All just transition workers shall be eligible to enroll in the just transition program. |
10 | (e) All enrollees shall be offered job training. The department of labor and training shall |
11 | pay for the full and complete cost of the job training they receive under the just transition program, |
12 | and enrollees shall not be charged for any portion of the training. |
13 | (f) All job training offered to a just transition worker under the just transition program shall |
14 | be designed to: |
15 | (1) Qualify a just transition worker for a job that provides, at least, a comparable salary and |
16 | comparable benefits to the job they previously held working at, in, or with an industrial facility |
17 | within the just transition program zone, as determined by the director; |
18 | (2) Qualify a just transition worker for employment in an environmentally sustainable |
19 | industry, as determined by the director; and |
20 | (3) Accommodate, to the greatest extent practical, the preferences of each just transition |
21 | worker with regard to the types of jobs for which they would like to be trained. |
22 | (g) All enrollees shall be enrolled in the just transition program from the date on which |
23 | they enroll in the program until exactly two (2) years from the date on which their employment at, |
24 | in, or with an industrial facility in the just transition program zone terminates. |
25 | (h) The just transition unit shall provide a just transition salary to all enrollees from the |
26 | date on which their employment at, in, or with an industrial facility in the just transition program |
27 | zone terminates until exactly two (2) years from that date, or until the date on which they begin |
28 | receiving another full-time salary from a job that is not at, in, or with an industrial facility in the |
29 | just transition program zone, whichever is earlier. The just transition salary shall consist of a |
30 | monthly payment equal to one twelfth (1/12) of the highest annual salary that the worker received |
31 | from any job working at, in, or with an industrial facility in the just transition program zone within |
32 | the period between the enactment of this chapter and when they lost that job, as determined by the |
33 | director. Job apprenticeships shall not be considered "employment" under the terms of this |
34 | subsection, nor shall a worker be unenrolled from the program because they are participating in a |
| LC005139 - Page 36 of 42 |
1 | job apprenticeship program. |
2 | 42-16.1-22. Severability. |
3 | (a) If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall not |
4 | be affected thereby. |
5 | (b) If the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held |
6 | invalid, the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected |
7 | thereby. |
8 | SECTION 8. Chapter 46-12 of the General Laws entitled "Water Pollution" is hereby |
9 | amended by adding thereto the following sections: |
10 | 46-12-42. Specific water pollution regulations. |
11 | (a) No later than the first day of November in the calendar year of 2023, the director shall |
12 | adopt regulations that shall apply only to polluting facilities in the area composed of the following |
13 | census block groups from the 2010 census: |
14 | (1) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
15 | (2) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
16 | (3) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
17 | (4) Census Tract 1.01, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
18 | (5) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
19 | (6) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
20 | (7) Census Tract 1.02, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
21 | (8) Census Tract 4, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
22 | (9) Census Tract 4, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
23 | (10) Census Tract 4, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
24 | (11) Census Tract 4, Block Group 4, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
25 | (12) Census Tract 5, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
26 | (13) Census Tract 5, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
27 | (14) Census Tract 5, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
28 | (15) Census Tract 6, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
29 | (16) Census Tract 6, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
30 | (17) Census Tract 7, Block Group 1, Providence County, Rhode Island; |
31 | (18) Census Tract 7, Block Group 2, Providence County, Rhode Island; and |
32 | (19) Census Tract 7, Block Group 3, Providence County, Rhode Island. |
33 | (b) The regulations promulgated by the director under § 26-12-42(a), shall prohibit all |
34 | industrial facilities, within the area specified in § 26-12-42(a), from discharging more than one |
| LC005139 - Page 37 of 42 |
1 | microgram per year of any of the following pollutants into the waters of the State of Rhode Island: |
2 | (1) Acenaphthene; |
3 | (2) Acetone; |
4 | (3) Acrolein; |
5 | (4) Acrylonitrile; |
6 | (5) Aldrin; |
7 | (6) Aluminum; |
8 | (7) Ammonia; |
9 | (8) Antimony; |
10 | (9) Arsenic; |
11 | (10) Asbestos; |
12 | (11) Benzene; |
13 | (12) Benzidine; |
14 | (13) Beryllium; |
15 | (14) Butanone; |
16 | (15) Cadmium; |
17 | (16) Carbon disulfide; |
18 | (17) Carbon tetrachloride; |
19 | (18) Chlordane; |
20 | (19) Chlorine; |
21 | (20) Chloroform; |
22 | (21) Chloromethane; |
23 | (22) Chromium |
24 | (23) Copper; |
25 | (24) Cyanide; |
26 | (25) Dichloroethane; |
27 | (26) Dieldrin; |
28 | (27) Endosulfan; |
29 | (28) Endrin; |
30 | (29) Enterococcus Bacteria; |
31 | (30) Escherichia Coli; |
32 | (31) Ethanol; |
33 | (32) Ethylbenzene; |
34 | (33) Fluoranthene; |
| LC005139 - Page 38 of 42 |
1 | (34) Hexachlorobutadiene; |
2 | (35) Hexachlorocyclopentadiene; |
3 | (36) Iron; |
4 | (37) Isophorone; |
5 | (38) Isopropyltoluene; |
6 | (39) Lead; |
7 | (40) Mercury; |
8 | (41) Methyl tert-butyl ether; |
9 | (42) Nickel; |
10 | (43) Nitrobenzene; |
11 | (44) Pentachlorophenol; |
12 | (45) Phenol; |
13 | (46) Phosphorous; |
14 | (47) Polychlorinated biphenyls; |
15 | (48) Selenium; |
16 | (49) Silver; |
17 | (50) Tetrachloroethylene; |
18 | (51) Thallium; |
19 | (52) Toluene; |
20 | (53) Toxaphene; |
21 | (54) Trichlorobenzene; |
22 | (55) Trichloroethane; |
23 | (56) Trichloroethylene; |
24 | (57) Trimethylbenzene; |
25 | (58) Vinyl chloride; |
26 | (59) Zinc; |
27 | (60) Any compound that is a type of petroleum hydrocarbon; |
28 | (61) Any compound that is a type of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon; |
29 | (62) Any compound that is a type of chloroalkyl ether; |
30 | (63) Any compound that is a type of nitrophenols; |
31 | (64) Any compound that is a type of nitrosamines; |
32 | (65) Any compound that is a type of hexachlorocyclohexane; |
33 | (66) Any compound that is a type of phthalate or phthalate ester; |
34 | (67) Any compound that is a type of xylene; and |
| LC005139 - Page 39 of 42 |
1 | (68) Any other compound classified by the administrator of the U.S. Environmental |
2 | Protection Agency as a "toxic pollutant" under 33 U.S. Code § 1317. |
3 | (c) The regulations promulgated by the director, under subsection (a) of this section, shall |
4 | prohibit all industrial facilities, within the area specified in subsection (a) of this section, from |
5 | discharging more than one milligram per year of any of the following pollutants into the waters of |
6 | the State of Rhode Island: |
7 | (1) Oil and grease, which shall have the same meaning as the meaning assigned them by |
8 | the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the term "oil and grease" in |
9 | regulations promulgated under the federal water pollution control act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; |
10 | (2) Total suspended solids, which shall have the same meaning as the meaning assigned |
11 | them by the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the term "total |
12 | suspended solids" in regulations promulgated under the federal water pollution control act, 33 |
13 | U.S.C. 1251 et seq.; and |
14 | (3) Biochemical oxygen demand, which shall have the same meaning as the meaning |
15 | assigned them by the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the term |
16 | "biochemical oxygen demand" in regulations promulgated under the federal water pollution control |
17 | act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq. |
18 | (d) The regulations promulgated by the director under subsection (a) of this section, shall |
19 | prohibit all industrial facilities within the area specified in subsection (a) of this section, from |
20 | discharging more than one hundred (100) colony-forming units of fecal coliform per year into the |
21 | waters of the State of Rhode Island. |
22 | (e) The regulations promulgated by the director under subsection (a) of this section shall |
23 | prohibit all industrial facilities within the area specified in subsection (a) of this section from |
24 | discharging more than one hundred (100) colony-forming units of enterococci per year into the |
25 | waters of the State of Rhode Island. |
26 | (f) The director shall, as appropriate, amend or revoke any licenses or permits previously |
27 | provided to any industrial facilities, to ensure that such facilities are in compliance with the |
28 | pollution discharge limits specified in this section and any regulations promulgated thereunder. |
29 | (g) The director shall, as appropriate, amend Rhode Island's state implementation plan, |
30 | under the federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq., to reflect and incorporate |
31 | the pollution discharge limits, specified in this section and any regulations promulgated thereunder. |
32 | 46-12-43. Severability. |
33 | (a) If any provision of this chapter is held invalid, the remainder of this chapter shall not |
34 | be affected thereby. |
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1 | (b) If the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstance is held |
2 | invalid, the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected |
3 | thereby. |
4 | SECTION 9. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
5 | |
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LC005139 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- THE GREEN JUSTICE ZONE | |
ACT | |
*** | |
1 | This act would create the "green justice zone act" and the "environmental justice act" and |
2 | would make amendments to several other areas of the general laws designed to create a system to |
3 | provide clean water and air to the state. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005139 | |
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