Title 23
Health and Safety

Chapter 19.17
High-Heat Waste Facility Act of 2021

R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19.17-1

§ 23-19.17-1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

(1) “Environmental justice focus areas” means as defined by the DEM in SOP Number BEP-AWC-1, effective 6/26/09 and entitled, “Policy for Considering Environmental Justice in the Review of Investigation and Remediation of Contaminated Properties,” that states in part “DEM mapped areas where the percent of the block group that is minority or the percent of the block group that is low-income (under two (2) times federal poverty level) are high enough to rank in the top fifteen percent (15%) of block groups state-wide. The census blocks meeting these criteria established by the DEM in SOP Number BEP-AWC-1 shall be designated environmental justice focus areas”.

(2) “Environmental justice municipality” means any city or town that has, in whole or in part, one or more environmental justice focus areas.

(3) “High-heat medical waste processing facility” means a facility that:

(i) Generates electricity from the combustion, gasification, or pyrolysis of regulated medical waste;

(ii) Generates electricity from the combustion of fuel derived from the gasification or pyrolysis of solid waste, segregated regulated medical waste; or

(iii) Disposes of, processes, or treats regulated medical waste through combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, or any process that exposes waste to temperatures above four hundred degrees Fahrenheit (400ºF).

(4) “Open space” means as defined in § 45-22.2-4.

(5) “Regulated medical waste” means as defined in § 23-19.12-3.

History of Section.
P.L. 2021, ch. 334, § 2, effective July 9, 2021.