§ 8-1-103 — Powers and duties

The Division of Environmental Quality and the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission shall have the following powers and duties, respectively: (1) (A) Following a public hearing and based upon a record calculating the reasonable administrative costs of evaluating and taking action on permit applications and of implementing and enforcing the terms and conditions of permits and variances, the commission shall establish, by rule, reasonable fees for initial issuance, annual review, and modification of water, air, or solid waste permits required by §§ 8-4-101 - 8-4-106 , 8-4-201 - 8-4-229 , 8-4-301 - 8-4-314 , 8-6-201 - 8-6-212 , 8-6-214 , and 8-9-403 . These fees shall consist of initial fees, annual fees, and modification fees, as defined in § 8-1-102 . (B) (i) All fees will be capped at no more than the appropriation. Provided, however, in setting reasonable permit fees, the commission shall: (a) Set water permit fees calculated to generate revenues not to exceed the reasonable administrative costs of evaluating and taking action on permit applications and of implementing and enforcing the terms and conditions of permits and variances; and (b) Set solid waste permit fees for Class I and Class III landfills calculated to generate revenues not to exceed the reasonable administrative costs of evaluating and taking action on permit applications and of implementing and enforcing the terms and conditions of permits and variances. (ii) Provided, however, effective July 1, 2001, water permit and solid waste permit fee revenues may not be increased more than three percent (3%) per year. (iii) Should the amount of permit fees levied on and received from permits exceed the amounts specified in subdivision (1)(B)(i) of this section in a fiscal year, the overcollections may be retained by the division to be used to reduce permit fees in subsequent years by relative amounts. (iv) With the exception of major underground injection control wells, annual fees for no-discharge state permits will be capped at five hundred dollars ($500); (2) (A) The rules shall provide that the fees shall be assessed on a per-facility basis for the following categories of permits: (i) Air; (ii) Water; and (iii) Solid waste. (B) All annual fees for air permits issued under the state implementation plan or the rules promulgated pursuant to the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq., shall be assessed in accordance with the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7401 et seq. (C) The rules may include a provision for appropriate adjustments in the fees to reflect carryover fee collections in excess of the administrative costs of issuance, renewal, inspection, modification, and monitoring associated with these permits. (D) Notwithstanding other provisions of this subchapter and other applicable laws, the commission is authorized to promulgate and the division is authorized to collect annual fees from facilities electing to operate under the terms and conditions of a pollution prevention plan in lieu of an air permit. The annual pollution prevention plan fee shall be equal to the fee otherwise applicable to facilities operating under an air permit; (3) The division shall collect the permit fees as established by the commission and shall deny the issuance of an initial permit, a renewal permit, or a modification permit if and when any facility subject to control by the division fails or refuses to pay the fees after reasonable notice as established by the rules promulgated under this chapter; (4) The division shall require that any fee defined in this chapter shall be paid prior to the issuance of any permit; and (5) The division is hereby authorized to promulgate such rules necessary to administer the fees, rates, tolls, or charges for services established by this section and is directed to prescribe and collect such fees, rates, tolls, or charges for the services delivered by the division in such manner as may be necessary to support the programs of the division as directed by the Governor and the General Assembly.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2023, No. 390,§ 2, eff. 8/1/2023. Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 426, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 425, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 424, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 315,§ 423, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 693,§ 3, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 910,§ 2422, eff. 7/1/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 910,§ 2421, eff. 7/1/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 910,§ 2420, eff. 7/1/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 910,§ 2419, eff. 7/1/2019. Acts 1983, No. 817, § 3; A.S.A. 1947, § 82-1918; Acts 1987, No. 629, § 1; 1991, No. 789, § 1; 1993, No. 163, § 3; 1993, No. 165, § 3; 1993, No. 1254, §§ 1, 5; 1995, No. 509, § 3; 1995, No. 1056, § 1; 1997, No. 310, § 1; 1999, No. 1052, § 1; 1999, No. 1164, § 5.