(1) (a) Upon issuing an initial approval of an application for a solid wastes disposal site and facility under the provisions of section 30-20-103 (2), the department shall determine whether it will be able to complete review of such application within one hundred fifty days. If the department determines that it is capable of completing the review within the required time period, it shall commence review under the provisions of section 30-20-103. If the department determines that it cannot complete the review of an application within such time period, the department shall offer the applicant the option of having such application reviewed by a private contractor within one hundred fifty days or having such application reviewed by the department. If the applicant chooses to have such application reviewed by the department, the department shall not be required to complete its review within the one-hundred-fifty-day time period.

(b) A county shall not reject an application for a solid wastes disposal site and facility solely because the review of such application was performed by a private contractor under the provisions of this section.

(2) (a) The department shall maintain a register of private contractors to review applications for solid wastes disposal sites and facilities. The department is hereby authorized to contract with such private contractors pursuant to the provisions of part 14 of article 30 of title 24, C.R.S., for inclusion on such register. Any such contract shall be between the department and the private contractor. An applicant shall be responsible for the fee charged by a private contractor for the review of such applicant's application, but shall not be a party to such contract. The department shall contract with a sufficient number of private contractors to allow reassignment of an application if it is necessary to disqualify one or more private contractors because of conflicts of interest or other reasons.

(b) If the department assigns an application to a private contractor under the provisions of this section, such private contractor shall provide the department and the applicant with the fee schedule of such private contractor and with an estimate of the fee to be charged for the review of such application.

(c) Upon being notified of the identity of the assigned private contractor and upon receiving such private contractor's fee schedule and estimated fee, an applicant has the option to allow the application review to commence or to reject the private contractor. If such applicant rejects a private contractor, the department shall assign a second private contractor. If such applicant rejects the second private contractor, the department shall review such applicant's application, but the department shall not be required to complete such review within the one-hundred-fifty-day time period.

(d) The review of an application for a solid wastes disposal site and facility by a private contractor shall be based upon the same criteria as is used by the department of public health and environment under the provisions of section 30-20-103.

(e) During the review period for an application, a private contractor shall contact the applicant and the department concerning any problems such private contractor finds in such application and shall offer the applicant an opportunity to provide such materials or explanations as the private contractor determines are necessary to complete review of such application or to make necessary amendments to such application.

(3) Any moneys which are collected by the department from solid wastes disposal site and facility applicants in payment for private contractor application review fees shall be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the solid waste management fund created in section 30-20-118. Such moneys collected for the fees charged by private contractors shall be annually appropriated by the general assembly to the department for the sole purpose of transferring such fees to such private contractors in payment for their services.