13:1E-170. Definitions

As used in this act:

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection;

"Closing costs" or "closure" means all activities and costs associated with the design, purchase, construction or maintenance of all measures required by the department, pursuant to law, in order to prevent, minimize or monitor pollution or health hazards resulting from sanitary landfill facilities subsequent to the termination of operations at any portion thereof, including, but not limited to, the costs of the placement of final earthen or vegetative cover, and the installation of methane gas vents or monitors and leachate monitoring wells or collection systems at the site of any sanitary landfill facility; except that the costs which are incurred prior to the commencement of acceptance of solid waste for disposal at any portion of a sanitary landfill facility, including, but not limited to, the initial grading and installation of liners and leachate collection systems, and the costs associated with the normal operations of a sanitary landfill facility, including, but not limited to, the placement of daily and intermediate cover and the construction of ongoing environmental improvements, shall not be included as closing costs. Any such activities which will be undertaken subsequent to the cessation of acceptance of solid waste for disposal at the sanitary landfill facility shall be considered closure activities;

"Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection;

"Local government unit" means any county or municipality, or any agency, instrumentality, authority or corporation of any county or municipality, including, but not limited to, sewerage, utility and improvement authorities, or any public body having local or regional jurisdiction over solid waste disposal, including, but not limited to, solid waste management districts, or any political subdivision of the State, authority or agency authorized pursuant to law to own or operate sanitary landfill facilities or to provide for the environmentally sound disposal of solid waste;

"Owner or operator" means and includes, in addition to the usual meanings thereof, every owner of record of any interest in land whereon a sanitary landfill facility is or has been located; any operator of a sanitary landfill facility; and any person or corporation which owns a majority interest in any other corporation which is the owner or operator of any sanitary landfill facility. The foregoing also includes any local government unit which is the owner or operator of any sanitary landfill facility or which is required in the utilization of any facility to pay any portion of closure costs through the payment of rates and charges for the disposal of solid waste at any sanitary landfill facility;

"Sanitary landfill facility" means a solid waste facility at which solid waste is deposited on or in the land as fill for the purpose of permanent disposal or storage for a period exceeding six months, except that it shall not include any waste facility approved for disposal of hazardous waste.

L. 1985, c. 368, s. 2, eff. Nov. 12, 1985.