Florida Senate - 2017                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. PCS (546818) for CS for SB 1018
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì6714925Î671492                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/25/2017           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Galvano) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 35 and 36
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 403.076, Florida Statutes, is created to
    6  read:
    7         403.076 Short title.—Sections 403.076-403.078 may be cited
    8  as the “Public Notice of Pollution Act.”
    9         Section 2. Section 403.077, Florida Statutes, is created to
   10  read:
   11         403.077 Public notice of pollution; goals and findings.—
   12         (1)It is a goal of the state that the public be timely
   13  notified of a discovered, reportable pollution release that may
   14  pose an immediate danger to the public health, safety, or
   15  welfare.
   16         (2)The department has the authority and the duty to
   17  control and prohibit pollution of the air, land, and water of
   18  this state and has the primary responsibility to ensure that the
   19  public is aware of reportable pollution releases. Alerting the
   20  department about reportable pollution releases, within the
   21  timeframes and in the manner provided by this act, will better
   22  inform the department and the public regarding such releases and
   23  the need, if any, to take action to protect the public health,
   24  safety, and welfare.
   25         (3)This act does not alter or affect the emergency
   26  management responsibilities of the Governor, the Division of
   27  Emergency Management, or the governing body of any political
   28  subdivision of the state pursuant to chapter 252.
   29         Section 3. Section 403.078, Florida Statutes, is created to
   30  read:
   31         403.078 Public notification of pollution.—
   32         (1)DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term
   33  “reportable pollution release” means the release or discharge of
   34  a substance from an installation to the air, land, or waters of
   35  the state which is discovered by the owner or operator of the
   36  installation, which is not authorized by law, and which is:
   37         (a)Reportable to the State Watch Office within the
   38  Division of Emergency Management pursuant to department rules,
   39  permit, order, or variance;
   40         (b)Reportable to the department or a contracted county
   41  pursuant to department rules governing storage tank systems
   42  under ss. 376.303, 376.321, and 376.322;
   43         (c)Reportable to the department pursuant to department
   44  rules requiring notice for noncompliance from underground
   45  injection control systems where such noncompliance may endanger
   46  public health or the environment and has the potential to
   47  contaminate potable water wells outside the property boundaries
   48  of the installation;
   49         (d)A hazardous substance at or above the quantity
   50  established in Table 302.4 of 40 C.F.R. s. 302.4, revised as of
   51  July 1, 2016, for such substance, for which notification is
   52  required by 40 C.F.R. s. 302.6; or
   53         (e)An extremely hazardous substance pursuant to 40 C.F.R.
   54  s. 355.61, at or above the quantity established in Appendices A
   55  and B of 40 C.F.R. part 355, revised as of July 1, 2016, for
   56  such substance, for which notice is required by 40 C.F.R. s.
   57  355.33.
   58         (2)OWNER AND OPERATOR RESPONSIBILITIES.—
   59         (a)In the event of a reportable pollution release, any
   60  person who is an owner or operator of the installation at which
   61  the reportable pollution release occurred must provide a notice
   62  containing the following information, to the extent known at the
   63  time of such notice, to the department within 24 hours after its
   64  discovery:
   65         1.The name and address of the installation where the
   66  reportable pollution release occurred.
   67         2.The name and title of the reporting person and the
   68  nature of his or her relationship to the installation.
   69         3.The identification numbers for any active department
   70  permits, variances, registrations, or orders that are relevant
   71  to the reportable pollution release.
   72         4.The name and telephone number of a contact person for
   73  further information.
   74         5.The substance released.
   75         6.The estimated quantity of the substance released and, if
   76  applicable, the estimated quantity that has since been
   77  recovered.
   78         7.The cause of the release.
   79         8.The source of the release.
   80         9.The location of the release.
   81         10.The date, time, and duration of the release.
   82         11.The medium into which the substance was released,
   83  including, but not limited to, the outdoor air, land,
   84  groundwater, aquifer, or specified waters or wetlands.
   85         12.Whether the released substance has migrated to land or
   86  waters of the state outside the property boundaries of the
   87  installation and the location of such migration.
   88         13.To the extent available, toxicological information
   89  associated with the substance released as specified on a safety
   90  data sheet or comparable source published by the Occupational
   91  Safety and Health Administration or the Centers for Disease
   92  Control and Prevention, or their successor agencies.
   93  
   94  The owner or operator may also include in the notice any other
   95  information he or she wishes in order to assist in the
   96  protection of the public health, safety, and welfare.
   97         (b)If multiple parties are subject to the notification
   98  requirements based on a single reportable pollution release, a
   99  single notification made by one party in accordance with this
  100  section constitutes compliance on behalf of all parties subject
  101  to the requirement. However, if the notification is not made in
  102  accordance with this section, the department may pursue
  103  enforcement against all parties subject to the requirement.
  104         (c)If, after providing notice pursuant to paragraph (a),
  105  the installation owner or operator determines that a reportable
  106  pollution release did not occur or that an amendment to the
  107  notice is warranted, the installation owner or operator may
  108  submit a letter to the department documenting such
  109  determination.
  110         (d)If, after providing notice under paragraph (a), the
  111  installation owner or operator determines that a release subject
  112  to the noticing requirements of this act has migrated outside
  113  the property boundaries of the installation, the owner or
  114  operator, within 24 hours after such discovery, must provide an
  115  additional notice to the department. Such notice must comply
  116  with the requirements of paragraph (a) and specify the extent of
  117  the migration outside the property boundaries.
  118         (3)DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES.—
  119         (a)The department shall publish on a website accessible to
  120  the public all notices submitted by an owner or operator
  121  pursuant to subsection (2) within 24 hours of receipt.
  122         (b)The department shall create an electronic mailing list
  123  for such notices and allow the public, including local
  124  governments, health departments, news media, and other
  125  interested persons, to subscribe to and receive periodic direct
  126  announcement of any notices submitted pursuant to subsection
  127  (2). The department shall establish regional electronic mailing
  128  lists, such as by county or district boundaries, to allow
  129  subscribers to determine the notices they wish to receive by
  130  geographic area.
  131         (c)The department shall establish an e-mail address and an
  132  online form as options for owners and operators to provide the
  133  notice specified in paragraphs (2)(a) and (b).
  134         (4)ADMISSION OF LIABILITY OR HARM.—Providing notice under
  135  subsection (2) does not constitute an admission of liability or
  136  harm.
  137         (5)VIOLATIONS.—For failure to provide the notification
  138  required by paragraph (2)(a) or paragraph (2)(d), the owner or
  139  operator shall be subject to the civil penalties specified in s.
  140  403.121.
  141         (6)ADOPTION OF RULES.—The department shall adopt rules
  142  necessary to administer the provisions of this section.
  143         Section 4. Present paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of
  144  section 403.121, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
  145  (g), and a new paragraph (f) is added to that subsection, to
  146  read:
  147         403.121 Enforcement; procedure; remedies.—The department
  148  shall have the following judicial and administrative remedies
  149  available to it for violations of this chapter, as specified in
  150  s. 403.161(1).
  151         (4) In an administrative proceeding, in addition to the
  152  penalties that may be assessed under subsection (3), the
  153  department shall assess administrative penalties according to
  154  the following schedule:
  155         (f) For failure to provide required notice pursuant to s.
  156  403.078, up to $10,000 per day for each day an installation
  157  owner or operator is in violation of the section.
  158  
  159  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  160  And the title is amended as follows:
  161         Delete line 2
  162  and insert:
  163         An act relating to pollution; creating s. 403.076,
  164         F.S.; providing a short title; creating s. 403.077,
  165         F.S.; providing goals and legislative findings;
  166         specifying authority of the Department of
  167         Environmental Protection; specifying that the act does
  168         not alter or affect the emergency management
  169         responsibilities of certain other governmental
  170         entities; creating s. 403.078, F.S.; defining the term
  171         “reportable pollution release”; requiring an owner or
  172         operator of an installation at which a reportable
  173         pollution release occurred to provide certain
  174         information to the department within 24 hours after
  175         the discovery of the release; authorizing the owner or
  176         operator to amend such notice; specifying compliance
  177         and enforcement requirements; requiring owners or
  178         operators to provide notice when a reportable
  179         pollution release migrates outside the property
  180         boundaries of the installation; requiring the
  181         department to publish such information in a specified
  182         manner; requiring the department to establish an
  183         electronic mailing list; requiring the department to
  184         provide a reporting form and e-mail address for such
  185         notice; specifying that providing a notice does not
  186         constitute an admission of liability or harm;
  187         specifying penalties for violations; requiring the
  188         department to adopt rules; amending s. 403.121, F.S.;
  189         specifying penalties for failure to provide required
  190         notice; amending