58:10C-13 Guidelines for procedures for issuance of temporary licenses.

13. a. No more than 90 days after the date of enactment of P.L.2009, c.60 (C.58:10C-1 et al.), the department shall issue guidelines which shall be published in the New Jersey Register that set forth the procedures for the issuance of temporary site remediation professional licenses. Application for a temporary license shall be made in a manner and on such forms as may be prescribed by the department.

b. An applicant for a temporary site remediation professional license shall demonstrate to the department that the applicant:

(1) holds a bachelor's degree or higher in natural, chemical or physical science, or an engineering degree in a discipline related to site remediation, from an accredited institution of higher education, except as provided in subsection d. of this section;

(2) has 10 years of full-time professional experience, as described in subsection c. of this section, in the field of site remediation, of which five years shall have occurred in New Jersey and at least three years shall have occurred in New Jersey immediately prior to submission of the application;

(3) has attended and completed the minimum environmental health and safety education and training provided pursuant to 29 C.F.R. Section 1910.120 no more than one year prior to submission of an application for a temporary license;

(4) has attended and completed a course approved by the department on the State's rules and regulations concerning the technical requirements for site remediation no more than three years prior to the date of enactment of P.L.2009, c.60 (C.58:10C-1 et al.);

(5) has not been convicted of, or pled guilty to, an environmental crime, or any similar or related criminal offense under federal or state law, or any crime involving fraud, theft by deception, forgery, or any similar or related criminal offense under federal or state law; and

(6) has not had a professional license revoked by any state licensing board or any other professional licensing agency within the previous 10 years.

c. For the purposes of this section, "full-time professional experience" includes experience in which the applicant is required to apply scientific or engineering principles to contaminated site remediation where the resulting conclusions form the basis for reports, studies or other documents connected with the remediation of a contaminated site. The department may consider the applicant's work activities, field of practice, duration of employment, and work products prepared in determining the credit to be allowed for professional experience. The department may allow applicants with relevant advanced degrees up to two years of credit for professional experience, of which one year of credit may be awarded for applicants who have earned a master's degree in a relevant field of study and up to two years of credit may be awarded for applicants who have earned a doctorate degree in a relevant field of study.

d. For the purposes of this section, the department may issue a temporary license to an applicant for the remediation of discharges from underground storage tanks only. For those temporary licenses issued pursuant to this subsection, the department may provide for the substitution of full-time professional experience in the field of contaminated site remediation for the holding of a bachelor's degree. An applicant who does not hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education shall have at least 14 years of full-time professional experience, of which at least five years shall have occurred in New Jersey immediately prior to submission of the application. The applicant shall meet all other requirements as provided in subsection b. of this section.

e. The department may issue temporary site remediation professional licenses by publishing a list of the names and identifying information of the licensees on its Internet website.

L.2009, c.60, s.13.