Senate Bill 599 proposes amendments to the existing 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 provision and introduces a new section 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 (CWFP) for wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Specifically, the new provision states that if a municipal solid waste facility receives a CWFP loan, the facility can retain an amount equal to the total principal and interest owed on the loan while it is in repayment. This change aims to provide financial relief to municipal solid waste facilities that are investing in infrastructure improvements while still fulfilling their obligations to collect and remit environmental repair fees.