West Virginia House Bill HB2235

West Virginia 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/12/25

Caption

Relating to authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection to promulgate a legislative rule relating to hazardous waste management system

Summary

HB2235 is a rule authorization bill that allows the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to promulgate a legislative rule governing the state’s hazardous waste management system. The bill does not itself create a new regulatory program or rewrite the underlying hazardous waste statutes; instead, it approves a specific DEP rule that was filed in the State Register on August 28, 2024, under existing statutory authority in §22-18-6 of the West Virginia Code. In practical terms, the bill serves as legislative approval for administrative regulations in the hazardous waste area, likely covering how hazardous waste is handled, stored, transported, treated, or disposed of under state environmental rules. Because the bill is limited to authorizing the rule, its effect is to validate and enable the DEP’s regulatory framework rather than to make broad policy changes directly in statute.

Impact

HB2235 amends §64-3-1 of the West Virginia Code to add authorization for a DEP legislative rule concerning hazardous waste management system regulations, specifically 33 CSR 20. Its impact is to give the agency’s rule the force of law within the state’s administrative rulemaking structure, affecting regulated entities such as hazardous waste generators, transporters, treatment and disposal facilities, and other environmental compliance stakeholders. The bill reinforces existing state hazardous waste oversight rather than changing the substantive statutory scheme.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript, vote history, or recorded debate, so there is no documented opposition or support to gauge from discussion. Based on the bill’s narrow, technical nature, it appears to be a routine administrative rule authorization measure rather than a controversial policy bill. The absence of recorded votes or remarks suggests the bill may have been treated as a standard regulatory approval item.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. If any concerns were raised, they are not reflected in the available transcripts or voting record. In general, bills authorizing environmental rules can sometimes prompt questions about regulatory burden, compliance costs, or the scope of DEP authority, but none of those issues are evidenced here.