HOUSE BILL No. 5872

March 15, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Moolenaar, Caul and Kahn and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

     A bill to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled

 

"Natural resources and environmental protection act,"

 

by amending section 20120a (MCL 324.20120a), as added by 1995 PA

 

71.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 20120a. (1) The department may establish cleanup criteria

 

and approve of remedial actions in the categories listed in this

 

subsection. The cleanup category proposed shall be the option of

 

the person proposing the remedial action, subject to department

 

approval, considering the appropriateness of the categorical

 

criteria to the facility. The categories are as follows:

 

     (a) Residential.

 

     (b) Commercial.

 


     (c) Recreational.

 

     (d) Industrial.

 

     (e) Other land use based categories established by the

 

department.

 

     (f) Limited residential.

 

     (g) Limited commercial.

 

     (h) Limited recreational.

 

     (i) Limited industrial.

 

     (j) Other limited categories established by the department.

 

     (2) The department may approve a remedial action plan based on

 

site specific criteria that satisfy the applicable requirements of

 

this part and the rules promulgated under this part. The department

 

shall utilize only reasonable and relevant exposure pathways in

 

determining the adequacy of a site specific criterion.

 

Additionally, the department may approve a remedial action plan for

 

a designated area-wide zone encompassing more than 1 facility, and

 

may consolidate remedial actions for more than 1 facility.

 

     (3) The department shall develop cleanup criteria pursuant to

 

subsection (1) based on generic human health risk assessment

 

assumptions determined by the department to appropriately

 

characterize patterns of human exposure associated with certain

 

land uses. The department shall utilize only reasonable and

 

relevant exposure pathways in determining these assumptions. The

 

department may prescribe more than 1 generic set of exposure

 

assumptions within each category described in subsection (1). If

 

the department prescribes more than 1 generic set of exposure

 

assumptions within a category, each set of exposure assumptions

 


creates a subcategory within a category described in subsection

 

(1). The department shall specify site characteristics that

 

determine the applicability of criteria derived for these

 

categories or subcategories.

 

     (4)  If  Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, if a

 

hazardous substance poses a carcinogenic risk to humans, the

 

cleanup criteria derived for cancer risk under this section shall

 

be the 95% upper bound on the calculated risk of 1 additional

 

cancer above the background cancer rate per 100,000 individuals

 

using the generic set of exposure assumptions established under

 

subsection (3) for the appropriate category or subcategory.

 

However, the cleanup criteria for a hazardous substance shall be

 

the action level provided by the agency for toxic substances and

 

disease registry, United States department of health and human

 

services, if one is available. If the hazardous substance poses a

 

risk of an adverse health effect other than cancer, cleanup

 

criteria shall be derived using appropriate human health risk

 

assessment methods for that adverse health effect and the generic

 

set of exposure assumptions established under subsection (3) for

 

the appropriate category or subcategory. A hazard quotient of 1.0

 

shall be used to derive noncancer cleanup criteria. For the

 

noncarcinogenic effects of a hazardous substance present in soils,

 

the intake shall be assumed to be 100% of the protective level,

 

unless compound and site-specific data are available to demonstrate

 

that a different source contribution is appropriate. If a hazardous

 

substance poses a risk of both cancer and 1 or more adverse health

 

effects other than cancer, cleanup criteria shall be derived under

 


this section for the most sensitive effect.

 

     (5) If a cleanup criterion derived under subsection (4) for

 

groundwater in an aquifer differs from either: (a) the state

 

drinking water standard established pursuant to section 5 of the

 

safe drinking water act,  Act No. 399 of the Public Acts of 1976,

 

being section 325.1005 of the Michigan Compiled Laws  1976 PA 399,

 

MCL 325.1005, or (b) criteria for adverse aesthetic characteristics

 

derived pursuant to R 299.5709 of the Michigan administrative code,

 

the cleanup criterion shall be the more stringent of (a) or (b)

 

unless the department determines that compliance with this rule is

 

not necessary because the use of the aquifer is reliably restricted

 

pursuant to section 20120b(4) or (5).

 

     (6) The department shall not approve of a remedial action plan

 

in categories set forth in subsection (1)(b) to (j), unless the

 

person proposing the plan documents that the current zoning of the

 

property is consistent with the categorical criteria being

 

proposed, or that the governing zoning authority intends to change

 

the zoning designation so that the proposed criteria are consistent

 

with the new zoning designation, or the current property use is a

 

legal nonconforming use. The department shall not grant final

 

approval for a remedial action plan that relies on a change in

 

zoning designation until a final determination of that zoning

 

change has been made by the local unit of government. The

 

department may approve of a remedial action that achieves

 

categorical criteria that is based on greater exposure potential

 

than the criteria applicable to current zoning. In addition, the

 

remedial action plan shall include documentation that the current

 


property use is consistent with the current zoning or is a legal

 

nonconforming use. Abandoned or inactive property shall be

 

considered on the basis of zoning classifications as described

 

above.

 

     (7) Cleanup criteria from 1 or more categories in subsection

 

(1) may be applied at a facility, if all relevant requirements are

 

satisfied for application of a pertinent criterion.

 

     (8) Except as provided in subsection (4) and subsections (9)

 

to (13), compliance with the residential category in subsection

 

(1)(a) shall be based on  R 299.5709 through R 299.5711(4), R

 

299.5711(6) through R 299.5715 and R 299.5727 of the Michigan

 

administrative code. R 299.5711(5), R 299.5723, and R 299.5725 of

 

the Michigan administrative code shall not apply for calculations

 

of residential criteria under subsection (1)(a) R 299.5707 to R

 

299.5710, R 299.5712, R 299.5714, R 299.5716, R 299.5718, R

 

299.5720, R 299.5722, R 299.5724, R 299.5726, R 299.5728, and R

 

299.5730 of the Michigan administrative code.

 

     (9) The need for soil remediation to protect an aquifer from

 

hazardous substances in soil shall be determined by  R 299.5711(2)  

 

R 299.5718 and R 299.5726 of the Michigan administrative code,

 

considering the vulnerability of the aquifer or aquifers

 

potentially affected if the soil remains at the facility. Migration

 

of hazardous substances in soil to an aquifer is a pertinent

 

pathway if appropriate based on consideration of site specific

 

factors.

 

     (10) The department may establish cleanup criteria for a

 

hazardous substance using a biologically based model developed or

 


identified as appropriate by the United States environmental

 

protection agency if the department determines all of the

 

following:

 

     (a) That application of the model results in a criterion that

 

more accurately reflects the risk posed.

 

     (b) That data of sufficient quantity and quality are available

 

for a specified hazardous substance to allow the scientifically

 

valid application of the model.

 

     (c) The United States environmental protection agency has

 

determined that application of the model is appropriate for the

 

hazardous substance in question.

 

     (11) If the cleanup criterion for a hazardous substance

 

determined by R 299.5707 of the Michigan administrative code is

 

greater than a cleanup criterion developed for a category pursuant

 

to subsection (1), the criterion determined pursuant to R 299.5707

 

of the Michigan administrative code shall be the cleanup criterion

 

for that hazardous substance in that category.

 

     (12) In determining the adequacy of a land-use based response

 

activity to address sites contaminated by polychlorinated

 

biphenyls, the department shall not require response activity in

 

addition to that which is subject to and complies with applicable

 

federal regulations and policies that implement the toxic

 

substances control act,  Public Law 94-469,  15  U.S.C.  USC 2601

 

to  2629, 2641 to 2656, 2661 to 2671, and 2681 to  2692.

 

     (13) Response activity to address the release of

 

uncontaminated mineral oil satisfies R 299.5709 of the Michigan

 

administrative code for groundwater or  R 299.5711  R 299.5718 to R

 


299.5726 of the Michigan administrative code for soil  under the

 

Michigan administrative code  if all visible traces of mineral oil

 

are removed from groundwater and soil.

 

     (14) Approval by the department of a remedial action plan

 

based on 1 or more categorical standard in subsection (1)(a) to (e)

 

shall be granted only if the pertinent criteria are satisfied in

 

the affected media. The department shall approve the use of

 

probabilistic or statistical methods or other scientific methods of

 

evaluating environmental data when determining compliance with a

 

pertinent cleanup criterion if the methods are determined by the

 

department to be reliable, to be scientifically valid, and to best

 

represent actual site conditions and exposure potential.

 

     (15) If a remedial action allows for venting groundwater, the

 

discharge shall comply with requirements of part 31, and the rules

 

promulgated under that part or an alternative method established by

 

rule. If the discharge of venting groundwater is provided for in a

 

remedial action plan that is approved by the department, a permit

 

for the discharge is not required. As used in this subsection,

 

"venting groundwater" means groundwater that is entering a surface

 

water of the state from a facility.

 

     (16) A remedial action plan shall provide response activity to

 

meet the residential categorical criteria, or provide for

 

acceptable land use or resource use restrictions pursuant to

 

section 20120b.

 

     (17) A remedial action plan that relies on categorical cleanup

 

criteria developed pursuant to subsection (1) shall also consider

 

other factors necessary to protect the public health, safety, and

 


welfare, and the environment as specified by the department, if the

 

department determines based on data and existing information that

 

such considerations are relevant to a specific facility. These

 

factors include, but are not limited to, the protection of surface

 

water quality and consideration of ecological risks if pertinent to

 

the facility based on the requirements of  R 299.5717  R 299.5728

 

of the Michigan administrative code.

 

     (18) The department shall annually evaluate and revise, if

 

appropriate, the cleanup criteria derived under this section. The

 

evaluation shall incorporate knowledge gained through research and

 

studies in the areas of fate and transport and risk assessment. The

 

department shall prepare and submit to the legislature a report

 

detailing revisions made to cleanup criteria under this section.