Relating to authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate a legislative rule relating to the control of air pollution from hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
Summary
House Bill 2234 authorizes the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate a legislative rule governing the control of air pollution from hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. The bill does not itself create a new regulatory program in the text provided; instead, it gives legislative approval to an existing or revised agency rule filed in the State Register and modified to address objections from the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee.
The measure specifically authorizes 45 CSR 25, which concerns air pollution controls at hazardous waste facilities. In practical terms, this allows the Department of Environmental Protection to move forward with rulemaking under its statutory authority in §22-5-4 and to enforce standards affecting hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal operations and their air emissions.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend §64-3-1 of the West Virginia Code to add legislative authorization for the Department of Environmental Protection’s rule on air pollution from hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. The main legal effect is to validate the agency’s rulemaking authority for 45 CSR 25, allowing the rule to take effect and be administered as part of the state’s environmental regulatory framework. Affected parties would include hazardous waste facility operators, regulated industries, and the DEP, which would gain authority to implement and enforce the air pollution control requirements.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be a routine administrative authorization measure rather than a controversial policy proposal. The language suggests a technical rule approval process, and there is no evidence in the provided record of organized opposition or strong debate. The overall sentiment is therefore best characterized as neutral to supportive, with the bill serving to advance an environmental regulatory rule that had already been revised to address committee concerns.
Contention
The only apparent point of contention is the underlying regulatory rule itself, which had to be modified to meet objections from the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee before being refiled. That suggests the committee had concerns about the original version of the DEP rule, though the provided materials do not specify the substance of those objections. No additional disagreement, stakeholder opposition, or recorded vote split is available in the supplied context.