The bill amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to enhance the Department's authority in managing environmental contamination and remedial actions. Key changes include the removal of phrases that previously limited the Department's discretion, allowing for a broader interpretation of necessary actions to protect public health and the environment. The bill emphasizes the need for remedial actions to meet specific cleanup criteria, such as restoring affected aquifers to drinking water standards and preventing further contamination. It also introduces provisions for establishing cleanup criteria based on human health risk assessments and clarifies the process for selecting toxicity values, enabling the Department to approve remedial actions that may not fully comply with existing standards if they still protect public health.

Additionally, the bill mandates public transparency in the revision of cleanup criteria, requiring the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to publish these criteria and allow for public comment. It introduces provisions for site-specific criteria and emphasizes the importance of ecological assessments in managing hazardous substances. The bill also outlines new requirements for monitoring groundwater contamination, including the establishment of sentinel monitoring points and documentation of alternative monitoring points. Significant legal language changes include the replacement of "assure" with "ensure" and the stipulation that natural attenuation is not an acceptable remediation method unless active remediation is impractical. Overall, the amendments aim to improve the effectiveness and accountability of hazardous substance cleanup efforts while ensuring public health and environmental safety.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 324.20118