102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB1546

 

Introduced 2/17/2021, by Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
415 ILCS 5/12.5

    Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning NPDES discharge fees.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB1546LRB102 03562 CPF 13575 b

1    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by
5changing Section 12.5 as follows:
 
6    (415 ILCS 5/12.5)
7    Sec. 12.5. NPDES discharge fees; sludge permit fees.
8    (a) Beginning July 1, 2003, the the Agency shall assess
9and collect annual fees (i) in the amounts set forth in
10subsection (e) for all discharges that require an NPDES permit
11under subsection (f) of Section 12, from each person holding
12an NPDES permit authorizing those discharges (including a
13person who continues to discharge under an expired permit
14pending renewal), and (ii) in the amounts set forth in
15subsection (f) of this Section for all activities that require
16a permit under subsection (b) of Section 12, from each person
17holding a domestic sewage sludge generator or user permit.
18    Each person subject to this Section must remit the
19applicable annual fee to the Agency in accordance with the
20requirements set forth in this Section and any rules adopted
21pursuant to this Section.
22    (b) Within 30 days after the effective date of this
23Section, and each year thereafter, except when a fee is not due

 

 

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1because of the operation of subsection (c), the Agency shall
2send a fee notice by mail to each existing permittee subject to
3a fee under this Section at his or her address of record. The
4notice shall state the amount of the applicable annual fee and
5the date by which payment is required.
6    Except as provided in subsection (c) with respect to
7initial fees under new permits and certain modifications of
8existing permits, fees payable under this Section are due by
9the date specified in the fee notice, which shall be no less
10than 30 days after the date the fee notice is mailed by the
11Agency.
12    (c) The initial annual fee for discharges under a new
13NPDES permit or for activity under a new sludge generator or
14sludge user permit must be remitted to the Agency prior to the
15issuance of the permit. The Agency shall provide notice of the
16amount of the fee to the applicant during its review of the
17application. In the case of a new NPDES or sludge permit issued
18during the months of January through June, the Agency may
19prorate the initial annual fee payable under this Section.
20    The initial annual fee for discharges or other activity
21under a general NPDES permit must be remitted to the Agency as
22part of the application for coverage under that general
23permit.
24    Beginning January 1, 2010, in the case of construction
25site storm water discharges for which a coverage letter under
26a general NPDES permit or individual NPDES permit has been

 

 

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1issued or for which the application for coverage under an
2NPDES permit has been filed with the Agency, no annual fee
3shall be due after payment of an initial annual fee in the
4amount provided in subsection (e)(10) of this Section.
5    If a requested modification to an existing NPDES permit
6causes a change in the applicable fee categories under
7subsection (e) that results in an increase in the required
8fee, the permittee must pay to the Agency the amount of the
9increase, prorated for the number of months remaining before
10the next July 1, before the modification is granted.
11    (d) Failure to submit the fee required under this Section
12by the due date constitutes a violation of this Section. Late
13payments shall incur an interest penalty, calculated at the
14rate in effect from time to time for tax delinquencies under
15subsection (a) of Section 1003 of the Illinois Income Tax Act,
16from the date the fee is due until the date the fee payment is
17received by the Agency.
18    (e) The annual fees applicable to discharges under NPDES
19permits are as follows:
20        (1) For NPDES permits for publicly owned treatment
21    works, other facilities for which the wastewater being
22    treated and discharged is primarily domestic sewage, and
23    wastewater discharges from the operation of public water
24    supply treatment facilities, the fee is:
25            (i) $1,500 for the 12 months beginning July 1,
26        2003 and $500 for each subsequent year, for facilities

 

 

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1        with a Design Average Flow rate of less than 100,000
2        gallons per day;
3            (ii) $5,000 for the 12 months beginning July 1,
4        2003 and $2,500 for each subsequent year, for
5        facilities with a Design Average Flow rate of at least
6        100,000 gallons per day but less than 500,000 gallons
7        per day;
8            (iii) $7,500 for facilities with a Design Average
9        Flow rate of at least 500,000 gallons per day but less
10        than 1,000,000 gallons per day;
11            (iv) $15,000 for facilities with a Design Average
12        Flow rate of at least 1,000,000 gallons per day but
13        less than 5,000,000 gallons per day;
14            (v) $30,000 for facilities with a Design Average
15        Flow rate of at least 5,000,000 gallons per day but
16        less than 10,000,000 gallons per day; and
17            (vi) $50,000 for facilities with a Design Average
18        Flow rate of 10,000,000 gallons per day or more.
19        (2) For NPDES permits for treatment works or sewer
20    collection systems that include combined sewer overflow
21    outfalls, the fee is:
22            (i) $1,000 for systems serving a tributary
23        population of 10,000 or less;
24            (ii) $5,000 for systems serving a tributary
25        population that is greater than 10,000 but not more
26        than 25,000; and

 

 

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1            (iii) $20,000 for systems serving a tributary
2        population that is greater than 25,000.
3        The fee amounts in this subdivision (e)(2) are in
4    addition to the fees stated in subdivision (e)(1) when the
5    combined sewer overflow outfall is contained within a
6    permit subject to subsection (e)(1) fees.
7        (3) For NPDES permits for mines producing coal, the
8    fee is $5,000.
9        (4) For NPDES permits for mines other than mines
10    producing coal, the fee is $5,000.
11        (5) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where
12    toxic substances are not regulated, other than permits
13    covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the fee is:
14            (i) $1,000 for a facility with a Design Average
15        Flow rate that is not more than 10,000 gallons per day;
16            (ii) $2,500 for a facility with a Design Average
17        Flow rate that is more than 10,000 gallons per day but
18        not more than 100,000 gallons per day; and
19            (iii) $10,000 for a facility with a Design Average
20        Flow rate that is more than 100,000 gallons per day.
21        (6) For NPDES permits for industrial activity where
22    toxic substances are regulated, other than permits covered
23    under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the fee is:
24            (i) $15,000 for a facility with a Design Average
25        Flow rate that is not more than 250,000 gallons per
26        day; and

 

 

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1            (ii) $20,000 for a facility with a Design Average
2        Flow rate that is more than 250,000 gallons per day.
3        (7) For NPDES permits for industrial activity
4    classified by USEPA as a major discharge, other than
5    permits covered under subdivision (e)(3) or (e)(4), the
6    fee is:
7            (i) $30,000 for a facility where toxic substances
8        are not regulated; and
9            (ii) $50,000 for a facility where toxic substances
10        are regulated.
11        (8) For NPDES permits for municipal separate storm
12    sewer systems, the fee is $1,000.
13        (9) For NPDES permits for industrial storm water, the
14    fee is $500.
15        (10) For NPDES permits for construction site storm
16    water, the fee
17            (A) for applications received before January 1,
18        2010 is $500;
19            (B) for applications received on or after January
20        1, 2010 is:
21                (i) $250 if less than 5 acres are disturbed;
22            and
23                (ii) $750 if 5 or more acres are disturbed.
24        (11) For an NPDES permit for a Concentrated Animal
25    Feeding Operation (CAFO), the fee is:
26            (A) $750 for a Large CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R.

 

 

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1        122.23(b)(4);
2            (B) $350 for a Medium CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R.
3        122.23(b)(6); and
4            (C) $150 for a Small CAFO, as defined in 40 C.F.R.
5        122.23(b)(9).
6    (f) The annual fee for activities under a permit that
7authorizes applying sludge on land is $2,500 for a sludge
8generator permit and $5,000 for a sludge user permit.
9    (g) More than one of the annual fees specified in
10subsections (e) and (f) may be applicable to a permit holder.
11These fees are in addition to any other fees required under
12this Act.
13    (h) The fees imposed under this Section do not apply to the
14State or any department or agency of the State, nor to any
15school district, or to any private sewage disposal system as
16defined in the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS
17225/).
18    (i) The Agency may adopt rules to administer the fee
19program established in this Section. The Agency may include
20provisions pertaining to invoices, notice of late payment,
21refunds, and disputes concerning the amount or timeliness of
22payment. The Agency may set forth procedures and criteria for
23the acceptance of payments. The absence of such rules does not
24affect the duty of the Agency to immediately begin the
25assessment and collection of fees under this Section.
26    (j) All fees and interest penalties collected by the

 

 

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1Agency under this Section shall be deposited into the Illinois
2Clean Water Fund, which is hereby created as a special fund in
3the State treasury. Gifts, supplemental environmental project
4funds, and grants may be deposited into the Fund. Investment
5earnings on moneys held in the Fund shall be credited to the
6Fund.
7    Subject to appropriation, the moneys in the Fund shall be
8used by the Agency to carry out the Agency's clean water
9activities.
10    (k) Except as provided in subsection (l) or Agency rules,
11fees paid to the Agency under this Section are not refundable.
12    (l) The Agency may refund the difference between (a) the
13amount paid by any person under subsection (e)(1)(i) or
14(e)(1)(ii) of this Section for the 12 months beginning July 1,
152004 and (b) the amount due under subsection (e)(1)(i) or
16(e)(1)(ii) as established by this amendatory Act of the 93rd
17General Assembly.
18(Source: P.A. 96-245, eff. 8-11-09; 97-962, eff. 8-15-12.)