455B.487 Facility acquisition and operation.

1. The commission shall adopt rules establishing criteria for the identification of land areas or sites which are suitable for the operation of facilities for the management of low-level radioactive wastes. Upon request, the department shall assist in locating suitable sites for the location of a facility. The commission may purchase or condemn land to be leased or used for the operation of a facility subject to chapter 6A. Consideration for a contract for purchase of land shall not be in excess of funds appropriated by the general assembly for that purpose. The commission may lease land purchased under this section to any person including the state or a state agency. This section authorizes the state to own or operate low-level radioactive waste facilities, subject to the approval of the general assembly.

2. The purchase, condemnation, use, or lease of land for the management of wastes, shall be approved by the general assembly prior to the purchase, condemnation, use, or lease of the land.

3. a. The terms of the lease or contract shall establish responsibility for long-term monitoring and maintenance of the site. The commission shall require that the lessee or operator post bond or provide proof of sufficient insurance coverage, as determined by the commission to be reasonably necessary to protect the state against liabilities arising from the storage of wastes, abandonment of the facility, facility accidents, failure of the facility, or other liabilities which may arise.

b. The terms of the lease or contract shall also require that the lessee or operator of the facility pay an annual fee to the state, as established by the commission, to cover facility monitoring costs, and shall require that the lessee or operator establish a long-term monitoring and maintenance fund in which the lessee or operator shall deposit annually an amount specified by the commission. The fund shall be used to pay closure, long-term monitoring and maintenance, and contingency costs.

4. The lease agreement or contract shall provide for a local review and monitoring committee established by the county or municipal entity governing the jurisdiction in which the facility is located. Prior to the approval of a lease agreement or contract the local committee shall review the application of the prospective lessee or operator and shall determine the suitability of the proposed site for the facility. The local committee may inspect the facility during operation and may make recommendations regarding the operation and closure of the facility. The commission shall establish a surtax paid by the lessee or operator of a facility to the local governmental entity, and retained by the local governmental entity in which the facility is located. The lessee or operator of the facility shall provide funding for the implementation of the duties of the local committee.

5. The lessee or operator is subject to all applicable permit and licensing requirements. The leasehold interest, including improvements made to the property, shall be listed, assessed, and valued as any other real property as provided by law.

6. a. Facilities acquired or operated pursuant to this section shall comply with applicable federal and state statutes, local ordinances, and regulations adopted by regulatory agencies to the extent required by law.

b. Facilities acquired or operated pursuant to this section may be used for regional, statewide or multistate management of wastes.

c. Facilities acquired or operated pursuant to this section shall not be used for the purpose of shallow land burial of wastes as a means of disposal.

7. An operator of a facility acquired or operated pursuant to this section shall require that a person, prior to the use of the facility, submit proof that reasonable and good faith measures have been taken to reduce the generation of waste.

87 Acts, ch 180, §9; 2012 Acts, ch 1021, §80; 2013 Acts, ch 12, §9, 10