(a) An
applicant for a new permit, major permit modification, permit renewal or permit
reissuance and a person or municipality submitting a closure plan shall publish
once a week for 3 consecutive weeks a notice in a newspaper of general
circulation in the area where the facility or proposed facility is located. The
notice shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Include a brief description of the
location and proposed operation or closure of the facility, and indicate where
copies of the application or closure plan will be filed. If groundwater
degradation exists at closure or occurs after closure, the notice shall include
a list of contaminants, abatement measures taken prior to closure, if
applicable, proposed remediation measures and proposed remediation standards to
be met. If the permittee proposes to utilize the alternative groundwater
protection standard, the notice shall include a 30-day public and municipal
comment period during which the municipality can request to be involved in the
development of the remediation and reuse plans for the site.
(2) State that the host municipality and
county may submit comments to the Department within 60 days of receipt of the
application or closure plan, recommending conditions upon, revisions to and
approval or disapproval of the permit or closure plan, with the specific
reasons described in the comments.
(3) State that the Department will accept
comments from the public on the permit application or closure plan and state
the procedure for submission of comments.
(4) If the applicant proposes a design
alternative under §
271.231 (relating to equivalency
review procedure), it shall so state, and briefly describe the alternative
design.
(5) If the application is
for a new municipal waste landfill, construction/demolition waste landfill,
transfer facility or resource recovery facility, or for a major modification of
a municipal waste landfill permit, it shall be in the form of a display
advertisement.
(b) An
applicant for a new permit, permit reissuance, permit renewal or major permit
modification, and a person or municipality submitting a closure plan, shall
also notify by certified mail owners and occupants of land contiguous to the
site or the proposed permit area of the nature and extent of the proposed
facility or closure plan. If the applicant proposes a design alternative under
§
271.231, the notice shall so state
and briefly describe the alternative design. The applicant shall submit proof
of the notice in the form of a United States Postal Service postmarked
signature card or other dated acknowledgment form of private letter carrier
services.
(c) The Department may
require the person or municipality to provide additional public notice if the
Department determines that the proposed facility or closure plan is of
significant interest to the public or may cause significant environmental
impact.
(d) An applicant for a new
permit, permit reissuance, permit renewal or major permit modification, and a
person or municipality submitting a closure plan shall, immediately before the
application or plan is filed with the Department, give written notice to each
municipality in which the site or proposed permit area is located. If
groundwater degradation exists at closure or occurs after closure, the notice
shall include a list of contaminants, abatement measures taken prior to
closure, if applicable, proposed remediation measures and proposed remediation
standards to be met. If the permittee proposes to utilize the alternative
groundwater protection standard, the notice shall include a 30-day public and
municipal comment period during which the municipality can request to be
involved in the development of the remediation and reuse plans for the site. If
the applicant proposes a design alternative under § 271.231, the notice
shall so state and briefly describe the alternative design. The applicant shall
file with the Department a copy of the notice as part of the application or
plan. The Department will not issue a permit for 60 days from the date of the
notice unless each municipality to which the notice is sent submits a written
statement to the Department expressly waiving the 60-day period.
(e) Proof of compliance with the applicable
requirements of this section shall be submitted within 30 days of filing its
permit application or closure plan with the Department.