People responsible for certain discharges must promptly notify the Department, and petroleum or mineral-oil discharge owners must take additional cleanup and reporting steps when listed conditions are met.
(a)Except as provided in G.S. 143-215.94E(a1) and subsections (b) and (c) of this section, every person owning or having control over oil or other substances discharged in any circumstances other than pursuant to a rule adopted by the Commission, a regulation of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, or a permit required by G.S. 143-215.1 or the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, upon notice that such discharge has occurred, shall immediately notify the Department, or any of its agents or employees, of the nature, location and time of the discharge and of the measures which are being taken or are proposed to be taken to contain and remove the discharge. The agent or employee of the Department receiving the notification shall immediately notify the Secretary or such member or members of the permanent staff of the Department as the Secretary may designate. If the discharged substance of which the Department is notified is a pesticide regulated by the North Carolina Pesticide Board, the Department shall immediately inform the Chairman of the Pesticide Board. Removal operations under this Article of substances identified as pesticides defined in G.S. 143-460 shall be coordinated in accordance with the Pesticide Emergency Plan adopted by the North Carolina Pesticide Board; provided that, in instances where entry of such hazardous substances into waters of the State is imminent, the Department may take such actions as are necessary to physically contain or divert such substance so as to prevent entry into the surface waters. (b)As used in this subsection, “petroleum” has the same meaning as in G.S. 143-215.94A. A person who owns or has control over petroleum that is discharged into the environment shall immediately take measures to collect and remove the discharge, report the discharge to the Department within 24 hours of the discharge, and begin to restore the area affected by the discharge in accordance with the requirements of this Article if the volume of the petroleum that is discharged is 25 gallons or more or if the petroleum causes a sheen on nearby surface water or if the petroleum is discharged at a distance of 100 feet or less from any surface water body. If the volume of petroleum that is discharged is less than 25 gallons, the petroleum does not cause a sheen on nearby surface water, and the petroleum is discharged at a distance of more than 100 feet from all surface water bodies, the person who owns or has control over the petroleum shall immediately take measures to collect and remove the discharge. If a discharge of less than 25 gallons of petroleum cannot be cleaned up within 24 hours of the discharge or if the discharge causes a sheen on nearby surface water, the person who owns or has control over the petroleum shall immediately notify the Department. (c)As used in this subsection, “mineral oil” means a light nontoxic liquid petroleum distillate used as a coolant and insulator in electrical equipment owned by a public utility. Any person who owns or has control over mineral oil discharged from electrical equipment owned by a public utility, as defined in G.S. 62-100, including, but not limited to, transformers, regulators, bushings, and capacitors, shall report the discharge to the applicable regional office of the Department within 24 hours of confirmation of a discharge when the discharge (i) exceeds 25 gallons, (ii) is directly to surface waters or causes a sheen on surface waters of the State, or (iii) is at a distance of 100 feet or less from any surface water and contains 50 parts per million or more of polychlorinated biphenyls. The notification shall include the time of discovery, address or location of the release, immediate actions taken, estimated amount of the release, and, if known, the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls present in the discharge. This information may be submitted by telephone, hand delivery, electronic mail, or fax. History: History.1973, c. 534, s. 1; c. 1262, s. 23; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; c. 858, s. 1; 1979, c. 535, ss. 16, 17; 1987, c. 827, ss. 154, 194; 2000-54, s. 1; 2011-38, s. 1.