The department must adopt and update a Hawaii state contingency plan, set site-ranking criteria, and publish and revise the site list at least annually.
(a) The department shall adopt, by rules, and from time to time update a Hawaii state contingency plan which, as nearly as the department deems appropriate and practicable, shall comport with and complement the National Contingency Plan prepared under the authority of the Clean Water Act and CERCLA. The state contingency plan shall include methods and criteria for evaluating the degree of hazard present at a site with releases of hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants, including whether the site poses an imminent or substantial hazard, and whether it is a priority site, and whether response actions are feasible and effective. In preparing the plan, the department shall consider and take into account regionally and locally developed contingency plans. (b) The department shall adopt, by rules, the criteria for the selection and for the priority ranking of sites pursuant to subsection (c) for removal and remedial action under this chapter, and shall adopt criteria for the ranking of sites in order of priority. The criteria shall take into account the pertinent factors relating to the public health and the environment, which shall include, but are not limited to, potential hazards to public health and the environment, the risk of fire or explosion, toxic hazards, the extent to which the deferral of remedial action will result, or is likely to result, in a rapid increase in cost or in a hazard to human health and the environment. The criteria may include a minimum hazard threshold below which sites shall not be listed pursuant to this section. (c) The department shall publish and revise, at least annually, a listing of the sites subject to this chapter and any de minimis settlements made under this chapter. The sites shall be categorized and placed on one of the following lists: (1) A list of the sites with releases of hazardous substances for which the department has identified a responsible party, and the responsible party is in compliance, as determined by the department, with an order issued, or an enforceable agreement entered into. (2) A list of the sites with releases of hazardous substances for which all of the following apply: (A) The department has not been able to identify a responsible party or the responsible party is not in compliance, as determined by the department, with an order issued or an enforceable agreement entered into; (B) The nature and extent of the release of hazardous substances at the site have not been adequately characterized by the responsible party or the department. (d) Funds appropriated to the department for response actions shall be expended in conformance with the priority ranking of sites, as established on the list of sites specified in subsection (c), except that funds appropriated for removal action may be expended without conforming to the priority ranking if any of the following apply: (1) The funds are necessary to monitor removal actions conducted by private parties at sites listed pursuant to subsection (c)(1); (2) State funds are necessary for the State's share of a removal or remedial action pursuant to section 104(c)(3) of CERCLA; (3) The funds are used to assess, evaluate, and characterize the nature and extent of a release of hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants at sites listed pursuant to this section; or (4) The director determines that immediate removal action at a facility or site is necessary because there may be an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or the environment. (e) The criminal penalties set forth in sections 128D-3 and 128D-10 shall not take effect until the state contingency plan has been adopted. Until the state contingency plan is adopted, the National Contingency Plan, as it exists on the effective date of this chapter, will be considered to be the state contingency plan for purposes of enforcing the remaining sections of this chapter. (f) The department may adopt such rules, as it deems necessary for the implementation, administration, and enforcement of this chapter, CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and other pertinent laws. [L 1988, c 148, pt of §2; am L 1990, c 298, pt of §18; am L 1991, c 280, §8] Note Effective date of L 1991, c 280 is June 17, 1991.