Assembly Bill 605 proposes amendments to the statutes regarding the retention of environmental repair fees by municipal solid waste facilities. Currently, the owner or operator of a licensed solid waste disposal facility is required to collect environmental repair fees from waste generators and remit these fees to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The bill renumbers the existing statute and introduces a new provision that allows owners or operators of municipal solid waste facilities to retain a portion of the environmental repair fees they collect if they have received a loan from the Clean Water Fund Program for wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Specifically, the bill stipulates that if a municipal solid waste facility receives a loan under the Clean Water Fund Program, the facility may retain an amount equal to the total principal and interest owed on the loan from the environmental repair fees collected during the loan repayment period. This change aims to provide financial relief to municipal solid waste facilities that invest in wastewater treatment infrastructure while ensuring that they can still meet their obligations to the DNR.