MASSACHUSETTS HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT

M.G.L. pt. Part I, tit. Title II, ch. c. 21C

in effect

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 1 Short title

c. 21C, § 1. Short title Section 1. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the ''Massachusetts Hazardous Waste Management Act''.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 2 Definitions

c. 21C, § 2. Definitions Section 2. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, when used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings: ''Collect'', to gather at a place or places away from the premises of a licensee. ''Commissioner'', the commissioner of the department. ''Department'', the department of environmental protection. ''Disposal'', the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, incineration or placing of any hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such hazardous waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters. ''Division'', the division of hazardous waste within the department of environmental protection. ''Facility'', a site or works for the storage, treatment, dewatering, refining, incinerating, reclamation, stabilization, solidification, disposal or other processes where hazardous wastes can be stored, treated or disposed of; however, not including a municipal or industrial waste water treatment facility if permitted under section forty-three of chapter twenty-one. ''Generator'', a person who produces hazardous waste. ''Hazardous waste'', a waste, or combination of wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical or infectious characteristics may cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible illness or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health, safety or welfare or to the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, used or disposed of, or otherwise managed, however not to include solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1967 as amended, or source, special nuclear, or byproduct material as defined by the Atomic Energy Acts of 1954. ''Hazardous waste advisory committee'', the committee established by section three of this chapter. ''Hazardous waste licensee'', a person licensed under this chapter to undertake the collection, transportation, storage, treatment, use or disposal of hazardous wastes. ''Hazardous waste management'', the systematic control of the collection, source separation, storage, transportation, processing, treatment, recovery and disposal of hazardous wastes. ''Manifest'', the department approved form used for identifying the quantity, composition, and the origin, routing and destination of hazardous waste from the point of generation to the point of disposal, treatment or storage. ''Person'', any agency or political subdivision of the federal government or the commonwealth, any state, public or private corporation or authority, individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, partnership, association, or other entity, and any officer, employee or agent of said person, and any group of said persons. ''Storage'', the actual or intended containment of hazardous waste on a temporary basis or for a period not exceeding nine months or another period set by regulation or the department, in a manner which does not constitute disposal. ''Transfer station'', the intermediate point in the transport of hazardous wastes where such wastes are brought, stored and transferred to vehicles for movement to other intermediate points or to the point of ultimate storage, treatment or disposal. ''Transport'', the movement of hazardous wastes from the point of generation to any intermediate points or to the point of ultimate storage, treatment, recovery or disposal. ''Treatment'', any method, technique or process, including neutralization, incineration, stabilization or solidification, designed to change the physical, chemical or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize such waste or so as to render such waste less hazardous, non-hazardous, safer to transport, amenable to storage, or reduced in volume, except such method or technique as may be included as an integral part of a manufacturing process at the point of generation. ''Underground drinking water source'', an aquifer supplying drinking water for human consumption, an aquifer in which groundwater contains less than ten thousand parts per liter total dissolved solids, or an aquifer designated as such by the department or the municipality. ''RCRA'', the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, Public Law 94–580.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 3 Hazardous waste advisory committee

c. 21C, § 3. Hazardous waste advisory committee Section 3. There is hereby established within the department a hazardous waste advisory committee to provide consultation to the department concerning matters covered by this chapter. The committee shall review the development of standards, rules, and regulations for hazardous waste management, and shall supply recommendations concerning methods by which existing hazardous waste management practices and the laws regulating them may be supplemented and improved and their administration financed. The committee shall consist of at least nine members appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, one of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, one of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, one of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, one of whom shall be a representative of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, one of whom shall be a representative of the Massachusetts Mayors Association, one of whom shall be a representative from a regional planning agency, one of whom shall be a representative of the City Solicitors and Town Counsel's Association, and at least one of whom shall be a representative of the public knowledgeable in environmental affairs and shall have no financial interest in any of the recommendations or studies of the committee. Such financial interest shall include, but not be limited to, service as a consultant to any person specializing in waste disposal, or as an attorney of a party with a direct financial interest in hazardous waste disposal. Any member shall be eligible for reappointment. In making initial appointments to said committee, the governor shall appoint two members for terms of one year, three members for terms of two years, three members for terms of three years, and one member for a term of four years. Upon the expiration of the term of any such member, his successor shall be appointed for a term of four years. Persons appointed to fill vacancies shall serve for the unexpired term of said vacancy.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 4 Division of hazardous waste; duties of department

c. 21C, § 4. Division of hazardous waste; duties of department Section 4. The department shall establish a division of hazardous waste which shall be administered by a director appointed by the commissioner and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner. The appointment of said director shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter thirty-one or section nine A of chapter thirty. The department shall adopt rules, regulations, procedures and standards as may be necessary for the implementation of this chapter. Such regulations, procedures and standards shall be developed by the department with input and review by interested and affected persons and agencies as determined by the department including, but not limited to, the hazardous waste advisory committee, the department of public health and representatives of local health officials, and shall, where practicable, be consistent with those promulgated under the RCRA. The responsibilities of the department shall include the developing and establishing of: (a) a list of hazardous wastes; (b) criteria and standards for the identification of hazardous wastes; (c) provisions for waiver by the department for any waste which the department determines is insignificant as a potential hazard to public health, safety, welfare of the environment, or the handling, treating, storing, use, processing, or disposal of which is adequately regulated by another governmental agency, consistent with regulations promulgated under RCRA; (d) standards and requirements for the treating, storing, transporting, use and disposal of such hazardous waste; and (e) for the recovery of resources from such hazardous waste. The department shall take all action necessary or appropriate to secure for the commonwealth the benefits of RCRA, cooperate and enter into agreements and contracts with federal agencies, other states, interstate agencies, other agencies of the commonwealth or its political subdivisions, or private or nonprofit organizations in matters related to this chapter and RCRA, and may receive from, and dispense to, such agencies such funds as may be available for such matters. The department shall conduct programs of public participation to assure that, before undertaking actions of programmatic and policy level significance, interested and potentially affected members of the public are afforded an opportunity to be heard regarding such actions. There shall be no less than six public hearings throughout the state, before the initial adoption of such actions or the promulgation of regulations. The department shall adopt standards and procedures and shall establish fees for a hazardous waste licensing program pursuant to section eighteen of chapter twenty-one A, integrate with other laws pertaining to air, land and water resources all the provisions of this chapter for the purposes of administration and enforcement, avoiding duplication or inconsistency to the maximum extent practicable. Such integration shall be effected only to the extent that it can be done in a manner consistent with the provisions of this chapter and other laws pertaining to air, land and water resources. Any disposal or facility permitted by a valid permit issued pursuant to section forty-three of chapter twenty-one shall not be subject to the provisions of this chapter. The department shall conduct a survey and prepare and publish a list of sites in the commonwealth where hazardous waste has been deposited or abandoned. The department shall establish a manifest system that conforms with the requirements of RCRA. The department shall be responsible for the supervision of the maintenance and operation of all facilities in order to ensure the public health, safety, welfare and the environment and shall coordinate research and development regarding methods of hazardous waste handling, storage, use, processing, and disposal and shall conduct appropriate studies relating to hazardous wastes. The department shall require that a licensee obtain and maintain in effect a contract of liability insurance, a surety bond or other evidence of financial responsibility in favor of the commonwealth sufficient to assure financial responsibility in the event of damages resulting from accidents, negligence, misconduct, or malfunctioning in the construction, maintenance and operation of a facility, or from any other circumstances reasonably foreseeable occurring during or after construction or in the course of the maintenance and operation of hazardous waste facilities. The department shall furnish a copy of each permit or license application for the collection, storage, treatment, or disposal of hazardous waste to the local board of health, which shall be responsible for notifying the local governing authorities of any municipality within whose territorial jurisdiction a hazardous waste facility or activity is or will be located. The department shall furnish, on an annual basis, to the local board of health, which shall be responsible for notifying the local governing authority of the municipality, information identifying the types and quantities of hazardous waste generated, stored, treated or disposed within the municipality unless exempted by the commissioner under the provision of section twelve. The department shall provide for appropriate surveillance of hazardous waste processing, use, handling, storage, and disposal practices in the state and shall determine existing and expected rates of production of hazardous waste. The department may: maintain a technical reference center on hazardous waste disposal recycling practices, and related information for public and private use; render technical assistance to state and local agencies in the planning and operation of hazardous waste programs; coordinate research and study in technical and managerial aspects of management and use of hazardous wastes, and recycling and recovery of resources from hazardous wastes; investigate market potential and the feasibility of use of hazardous wastes and recovery of resources from hazardous wastes; promote recycling and recovery of resources from hazardous wastes; conduct studies for the purpose of improving departmental operations; encourage the reduction or exchange, or both, of hazardous waste; and establish and maintain an information clearinghouse, which shall consist of a record of wastes which may be recyclable, and require every generator of hazardous waste to supply the department with the information for the clearinghouse while assuring each generator that the information shall be made available in such a way that the trade secrets of the generator are protected.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 5 Collection, transportation, storage, etc., of hazardous waste; prohibited acts

c. 21C, § 5. Collection, transportation, storage, etc., of hazardous waste; prohibited acts Section 5. No person shall collect, transport, store, dispose of, treat, use or transport hazardous waste in a manner which could endanger human health, safety or welfare, or the environment, or in a manner inconsistent with any provision of this chapter, or of any regulation standard, license, or order issued pursuant to this chapter. No person shall store hazardous waste in a building or other permanent or temporary structure, vehicle, trailer or outdoor area within a facility that does not have installed a fire suppression system required by the state building code or the state fire code. No person shall collect, transport, store, treat, use or dispose of hazardous waste unless that person is in possession of a valid license issued pursuant to this chapter and, when in possession of such waste shall have a valid manifest; provided, however, that the department, by regulation, may exempt from this prohibition the short term containment of hazardous waste on the premises of the person who generated said waste, for a period not exceeding nine months, or another period set by regulation of the department in a manner which does not constitute disposal. No person who generates or who otherwise comes into possession of hazardous waste shall transfer custody or possession of such waste to any person who does not have a valid hazardous waste license, and such generator must prepare a manifest precisely descriptive of the waste. No person shall violate, or allow or suffer any employee, agent or contractor to violate any provision of this chapter or any regulation, license, approval or order issued hereunder. No person shall act in the capacity of, or advertise as, or assume to act as a hazardous waste licensee unless such person is in possession of a valid hazardous waste license issued under this chapter. No person shall use a motor vehicle for the transportation of hazardous wastes on any way unless there has been issued for said vehicle a vehicle identification device, issued under the provisions of this chapter, and said device is attached to a cab card which is carried in the operators compartment of said vehicle where it is accessible to the operator of said vehicle. Sections one hundred and forty-three and one hundred and fifty-one of chapter one hundred and eleven shall not apply to any hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facility licensed by the department pursuant to this section and section seven and which was lawfully organized, in existence, and licensed as a hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facility by any division of the department as of May first, nineteen hundred and eighty. Boards of health may enforce sections thirty-one, thirty-one C, one hundred and twenty-two, one hundred and twenty-three and one hundred and twenty-five of chapter one hundred and eleven, and such other provisions of law as may apply, with respect to hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facilities.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 6 Collection, storage, etc., of hazardous waste at generation site; regulations

c. 21C, § 6. Collection, storage, etc., of hazardous waste at generation site; regulations Section 6. The department shall establish such regulations concerning the collection, storage, treatment, use or disposal of hazardous wastes at the site of generation as it deems necessary to protect public health, safety and welfare and the environment, and to implement the provisions of this chapter and RCRA. Said regulations shall include requirements that generators maintain records and report to the division and to other agencies regarding the quantity and type of hazardous wastes which they have generated, stored, treated, disposed of or transferred to another person, and such other requirements as the division deems necessary.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 7 Collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of hazardous waste; licenses; underground drinking water sources

c. 21C, § 7. Collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of hazardous waste; licenses; underground drinking water sources Section 7. The department may license persons to undertake the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste. The department shall grant a license to construct, maintain and operate a facility on a site if it determines that said construction, maintenance, and operation does not constitute a significant danger to public health, public safety, or the environment, does not seriously threaten injury to the inhabitants of the area or damage to their property, and does not result in the creation of noisome or unwholesome odors. In making this determination, the department shall consider, but not be limited to, the following information which the applicant for a license shall submit in such form and manner as the department shall prescribe and require: detailed engineering plans and specifications; a description of maintenance and operating procedures; a description of the applicant's qualifications and experience in constructing, managing, and operating a facility; a plan for closure and post closure care of the facility and site; a statement of the applicant's financial condition; a statement of the amount and types of waste to be received at the facility; the results of chemical analysis of the surface and groundwaters in the area of the site's locus; and a hydrogeological study of the site area, for any proposal to dispose of hazardous waste into or on the land, or for other proposals if the department has sufficient reason to believe that the potentialities exist for groundwater contamination. The applicant shall be required to submit such other information as the department finds to be relevant and useful in making its determination. The department shall, where appropriate in making its determination, further consider such factors including, but not limited to, the following: topography; geological and soil conditions; climate; surface water and groundwater hydrology, including water run-off and run-on characteristics, wetlands and flooding conditions; drinking water supplies; and compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions regarding the protection of air, water and land resources. Nothing in this section shall be construed to deny or limit the right of the department to obtain and use such other information which it deems necessary to assist it in making its determination. The department may issue a license subject to such terms, restrictions, conditions and requirements as it determines to be necessary to comply with the provisions of this chapter. No facilities shall be constructed, maintained or operated except pursuant to the terms, restrictions, conditions and requirements established by the department in a license duly issued hereunder and pursuant to the terms of an assignment of a site for said facilities if said assignment is required pursuant to the provisions of section one hundred and fifty A of chapter one hundred and eleven. No storage, treatment, use or disposal for which a license is required pursuant to this chapter, and no construction, maintenance, or operation of a facility for which such license is required, shall proceed until notice that such license has been recorded in the registry of deeds, or if the land affected thereby be registered land, in the registry section of the land court for the district wherein the land lies. No land on or in which hazardous waste has been disposed, and no interest in such land, shall be conveyed or leased, and no such land shall be devoted to any use other than as a facility for such disposal, until notice of such disposal is recorded in the registry of deeds, or if the land affected thereby be registered land, in the registry section of the land court for the district wherein the land lies. The department shall not issue a license to persons to undertake the transport of hazardous waste unless the applicant has furnished a certification issued by the department of telecommunications and energy that said applicant has conformed to all of the requirements of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine B. The department shall issue vehicle identification devices to any person licensed under this section. Such vehicle identification devices may be issued for a period not to exceed one year, shall not be transferred to any vehicle other than the one for which it has been issued, and shall not be issued unless the applicant therefor has paid an annual fee for each vehicle in an amount established by the department pursuant to section eighteen of chapter twenty-one A. The department shall consult with the department of telecommunications and energy with respect to the adoption, amendment, or repeal of such regulations relating to the transportation of hazardous waste. The commissioner of administration, in consultation with the commissioner of the department of environmental protection, shall establish and annually review a schedule of reasonable fees to be paid by persons licensed to transport hazardous waste under this section. To the extent practical such fees shall be established at a rate or rates intended to generate monies equal to the costs, including costs of debt service, incurred by the commonwealth on account of projects to assess, contain and remove releases and threats of release of oil and hazardous material, less amounts recovered by the commonwealth from persons liable for such releases and threats of release. Such fees shall be established by regulations adopted after public hearing and in accordance with section two of chapter thirty A. Such fees shall be based on the quantity and type of hazardous waste transported or such other factors as the commissioner of administration may deem appropriate; provided, however, that said commissioner may provide reasonable exemptions from such fees for the transport of hazardous waste for recycling or reuse in a manufacturing process. Annually, the commissioner of administration shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means the amounts received as fees and expended on account of projects to assess, contain and remove releases and threats of release of oil and hazardous material during the preceding year, and the amounts anticipated to be received as such fees and to be expended on account of such projects during the following year. The department may deny, suspend or revoke a license at any time, if it determines that any of the terms or conditions thereof have been violated, that the holder of or applicant for the license has violated any provision of this chapter, of the RCRA, or of any regulation, standard, order, license or approval issued thereunder, or that the holder of, or applicant for, the license is not competent with respect to the licensed activity. Any person whose license is suspended, revoked or denied hereunder shall also be subject to such other penalties, sanctions or liabilities as may be provided by law. The department may on its own initiative, or upon request by a board of health, or upon request by a licensee, or municipal authority, modify a license where necessitated by a proposed change in the scope or method of the licensee's operation or by a change in applicable federal or state law or regulations or where necessitated by the receipt of evidence that the terms and conditions of such license are not providing the necessary protection of human health and the environment. The denial, suspension or revocation of a license for any class of hazardous waste or category of hazardous waste license may be grounds for the denial, suspension or revocation of a license to that licensee for all other hazardous waste classes and license categories. Any person whose license renewal is denied or whose license is revoked for cause shall be barred from applying for any class or category of license issued under this section for a period of not more than five years. The term during which reapplication is barred shall be established as part of the determination or decision of the department in the proceedings relative to the denial or revocation. Each license issued pursuant to this section shall be valid only for the person to whom it is issued and may not be transferred. All licenses shall be for a period not to exceed five years, unless a shorter term be specified therein by the division, or unless sooner revoked or suspended by the division. Every facility shall be inspected at least once a year. Before any license to dispose of hazardous wastes shall be granted, the applicant shall prepare a detailed set of maps of the disposal site and the surrounding area as determined by the department. The maps shall be drawn to a scale of one hundred feet to one inch and shall include but not be limited to the names and locations of all streams, creeks, above and below ground water systems, including all aquifers, and shall also include a detailed statement describing the quality and chemical analysis of the water in the area where the proposed site is to be located. No person shall establish, construct, or operate a facility for the landfill disposal of hazardous waste in a location overlying an actual, planned, or potential underground drinking water source as described on the groundwater maps of pertinent United States Geological Studies and the Massachusetts water resources commission. No landfill for the treatment or disposal of hazardous waste shall be operated in such a manner as to cause discharge of hazardous waste into surface waters or groundwaters which the department or the water resources commission has determined are presently used, or may reasonably be expected to be used in the future, as sources for the supply of drinking water. Hazardous waste shall be disposed of in a landfill only (a) after said hazardous waste has been given all treatment as directed by the department pursuant to rules, regulations, procedures and standards duly prescribed including, but not limited to, the requirement of treatment at the place of generation when determined to be appropriate by the department and (b) where the department finds that said hazardous waste cannot be recycled, destroyed, or disposed of by some other means approved by the department pursuant to its rules, regulations, procedures or standards.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 8 Entry of premises; warrants; enforcement of law

c. 21C, § 8. Entry of premises; warrants; enforcement of law Section 8. Personnel or authorized agents of the department may at all reasonable times enter any premises, public or private, for the purpose of investigating, sampling or inspecting any records, condition, equipment, practice or property relating to activities subject to this chapter, and may at any time enter such premises for the purpose of protecting the public health or safety, or to prevent damage to the environment. For the purposes of such entries no warrant shall be required provided, however, that upon demand by the owner or person in control of such premises, a warrant authorizing such entry and inspection shall be sought after such demand. Any court, judge, or justice authorized to issue warrants in criminal cases may issue such warrants. Personnel of the department of telecommunications and energy appointed under section twelve F of chapter twenty-five shall have the authority to enforce the criminal, civil and administrative sanction provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted thereunder as they relate to the transportation of hazardous waste and shall have the powers granted to them under section fourteen of chapter one hundred and fifty-nine B.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 9 Violations; orders by department

c. 21C, § 9. Violations; orders by department Section 9. Whenever it appears that there is a violation of any provision of this chapter or any license, order, approval or regulation issued or adopted thereunder, the department may issue to a person causing or contributing, or likely to cause or contribute, to such violation or potential violation an order requiring the production or analysis of samples and the production of records, or imposing such restraints on or requiring such action by said persons, as it deems necessary to abate or prevent such hazard or violation. The department also may issue such orders as it deems necessary to secure compliance with any license. Issuance of an order under this section shall not preclude, and shall not be deemed an election to forego, any action to recover damages, or, to seek civil penalties, criminal fines and penalties or injunctive relief.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 10 Violations; presumption; penalties; jurisdiction

c. 21C, § 10. Violations; presumption; penalties; jurisdiction Section 10. Any violation of this chapter, or of any regulation, order, license, or approval made thereunder shall be presumed to constitute irreparable harm to the public health, welfare, safety and to the environment. Such presumption may be rebutted by the introduction of competent evidence. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, or any regulation, order, license or approval issued or adopted thereunder: (a) shall be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than two years in a house of correction, or both, for each such violation; or (b) shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars for each such violation; or (c) a person who knowingly violates any provision of section five, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than twenty years or in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years, or both, for each such violation. Each day each such violation occurs or continues shall be a separate offense. The superior court shall have jurisdiction to enjoin violations of, or grant such additional relief as it deems necessary or appropriate to secure compliance with, the provisions of this chapter, or any order, license, approval or regulation issued or adopted thereunder upon the petition of the attorney general, commissioner, or a city or town.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 11 Adjudicatory hearings; judicial review

c. 21C, § 11. Adjudicatory hearings; judicial review Section 11. Any person aggrieved by a determination by the department to issue, deny, modify, revoke or suspend any license or approval, or to issue an order, under the provisions of this chapter, may request an adjudicatory hearing before the department under the provisions of chapter thirty A. Any such determination shall contain a notice of this right to request a hearing and may specify a time limit, not to exceed twenty-one days, within which said person shall request said hearing. If no such request is timely made, the determination shall be deemed assented to. If a timely request is received, the department shall within a reasonable time act upon a request in accordance with the provisions of said chapter thirty A. If, in making a determination which under the provisions of the preceding paragraph may be the subject of an adjudicatory hearing, the department finds that an imminent threat to the public health or safety, or to the environment could result pending the conclusion of the adjudicatory hearing requested thereon, the department may order that the determination become provisionally effective and enforceable immediately upon issuance, and shall remain so notwithstanding and until the conclusion of any adjudicatory hearing procedures. A person aggrieved by a final decision in an adjudicatory hearing held under the provisions of this section may obtain judicial review thereof pursuant to the provisions of chapter thirty A.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 12 Disclosure of information

c. 21C, § 12. Disclosure of information Section 12. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, any information, record, or particular part thereof, obtained by the department pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall, upon request, be kept confidential and not considered to be public record when it is deemed by the commissioner that such information, record, or report relates to secret processes, methods of manufacture, or production or that such information, record, or report if made public would divulge a trade secret. This section shall not prevent disclosure of any information necessary for an enforcement action or to comply with RCRA.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 13 [There is no 21C:13.]

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 14 Property subject to seizure and forfeiture

c. 21C, § 14. Property subject to seizure and forfeiture Section 14. The following property shall be subject to seizure by members of the state police, environmental police officers, and local police and to forfeiture to the commonwealth: (1) All conveyances, including motor vehicles, trailers, vessels, or other containers, used or intended for use to transport hazardous wastes in violation of this chapter or of any regulation, order, license, or approval issued or adopted under this chapter; (2) All books, records, or other materials which are or contain any evidence of a violation of this chapter or of any regulation, order, license, or approval issued or adopted under this chapter; and (3) All hazardous wastes collected, transported, stored, used, treated, disposed of, or otherwise handled in violation of this chapter or of any regulation, order, license, or approval issued or adopted under this chapter. Within fourteen days of the seizure of any property for violation of this chapter or of any regulation, order, license, or approval issued or adopted under this chapter, the attorney general or a district attorney shall file a libel with the superior court. The libel shall state briefly the grounds for the seizure and pray for the forfeiture of the property. The superior court for the county in which the property was seized or for Suffolk county shall have jurisdiction and venue over the forfeiture proceeding. Upon the filing of a libel with the superior court, the clerk shall issue an order of notice requiring the commonwealth to send a copy of the libel by certified mail to the owner of the property and to any other persons appearing to have an interest in the property. If no owner or interested person can be determined, the commonwealth shall cause notice of the libel to be published at least twice in a newspaper published in the county in which the property was seized. The superior court shall promptly, but not less than two weeks after the issuance of the order of notice by the clerk of the second publication in the newspaper, hold a hearing on the libel. The libel shall be conducted as a civil in rem action without jury, in which the commonwealth shall have the burden of proving all material facts by a preponderance of credible evidence. At the hearing of the libel, the superior court shall hear evidence, make findings of fact and conclusions of law, and shall issue a final order. The court shall not issue an order impounding a vehicle without making a finding that the owner of such vehicle knew, or should have known, that it was used for illegal transport of hazardous waste. If the commonwealth maintains its libel, the superior court shall declare the property forfeit to the commonwealth and may provide for the disposition of the property by the commonwealth in any manner not prohibited by law, including: (1) Use by a law enforcement or other public agency; (2) Sale at a public auction. The proceeds from the sale of the property shall be used to pay for reasonable expenses incurred in the seizure, storage and maintenance, and proceedings for the forfeiture of the property. Any balance shall be forwarded to the department for use in the enforcement of this chapter; and (3) Disposal of hazardous wastes seized pursuant to this section. Any officer, department or agency having custody of any property seized or forfeited pursuant to this section shall maintain complete records describing all such property in detail, showing from whom the property was received and to whom it was delivered, and indicating the period during which it was in custody. The department shall maintain complete records describing the types and quantities of hazardous wastes disposed of pursuant to this section and the dates and methods of their disposal.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 15 Definitions applicable to Secs. 15 to 30

c. 21C, § 15. Definitions applicable to Secs. 15 to 30 Section 15. As used in sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:— ''Commissioner'', the commissioner of insurance. ''Plan'', the plan of operation established and approved under section twenty-two. ''Licensee'', a person or entity holding a license to own or operate a hazardous waste collection, treatment, disposal or storage facility, pursuant to this chapter, or which is a facility having interim status pursuant to RCRA and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter. ''Insolvent licensee'', a licensee which, after December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and eighty-five, becomes insolvent and is placed under a final order of arrangement, bankruptcy, liquidation, conservation or rehabilitation by a court of competent jurisdiction; or is finally adjudicated to be bankrupt or insolvent by a court of competent jurisdiction; or certifies to the insolvency fund in writing, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that it is insolvent and is found to be insolvent by the insolvency fund or the commissioner of insurance. ''Impaired licensee'', a licensee which, after December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and eighty-five, is not an insolvent licensee and is found by the insolvency fund or by the commissioner to be potentially unable to satisfy a pending potential covered claim; or is the subject of proceedings under the bankruptcy code; or is placed under an order of receivership, conservation or rehabilitation by a court of competent jurisdiction. ''Covered claim'', an unsatisfied final judgment against an insolvent licensee entered in a civil action commenced on or after January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-six, for bodily injury or property damage to a third party caused by an accidental occurrence arising from operation of a hazardous waste collection, disposal, treatment or storage facility in the commonwealth. ''Potential covered claim'', a claim for bodily injury or property damage to a third party caused by an accidental occurrence arising from operation of a hazardous waste collection, disposal, treatment or storage facility in the commonwealth; which is the subject of a civil action against a licensee commenced on or after January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-six; and satisfaction of which is likely to require an amount exceeding the total amount of liability insurance available to satisfy the claim and the assets of the defendants available to satisfy the claim. ''Generator'', a person who produces hazardous waste while engaged in business within the commonwealth. ''Insolvency fund'', the Massachusetts hazardous waste insolvency fund established under section sixteen.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 18 Insolvency fund; impaired or insolvent licensees; defense or payment of potential covered claims; limits

c. 21C, § 18. Insolvency fund; impaired or insolvent licensees; defense or payment of potential covered claims; limits Section 18. (a) If a licensee is an impaired licensee, the insolvency fund may, in its discretion and subject to any conditions imposed by the insolvency fund, that do not impair the contractual obligations of the impaired licensee and that are approved by the commissioner: (1) defend, guarantee, assume insure or reinsure, or cause to be defended, guaranteed, assumed, or insured, any or all of the potential covered claims against the impaired licensee; or (2) provide such monies, pledges, notes, guarantees, or other means as are proper to effectuate clause (1) and assure defense or payment of the potential covered claim against the impaired licensee pending action under said clause (1). (b) If a member licensee is an insolvent licensee, the insolvency fund may, in its discretion, either (1) defend, guarantee, assume, insure or reinsure, or cause to be defended, guaranteed, assumed or reinsured, the potential covered claims against the insolvent licensee; or (2) assure payment of the potential covered claims against the insolvent licensee; or (3) provide such monies, pledges, notes, guarantees, or other means as are reasonably necessary to discharge such duties. (c) The insolvency fund shall pay, pursuant to the procedures set forth in section nineteen, and subject to the limits described herein, so much of any covered claim against an insolvent licensee as exceeds the total of (1) the amount of liability insurance available to satisfy the judgment; and (2) the value of the assets of the insolvent licensee reasonably available to satisfy the judgment; and (3) the value of the assets of any other party liable jointly for all or any part of the said judgment to the extent that those assets are reasonably available to satisfy the judgment. In no event shall the insolvency fund pay any part of an unsatisfied judgment arising out of one sudden accidental occurrence, to the extent that the judgment exceeds three million dollars, inclusive of interest and costs, nor shall the insolvency fund pay any amount for judgments against a single insolvent licensee for sudden accidental occurrences to the extent that the total of all said judgments exceed six million dollars, inclusive of interest and costs. In no event shall the insolvency fund pay any part of an unsatisfied judgment arising out of one non-sudden accidental occurrence, to the extent that the judgment exceeds five million dollars, inclusive of interest and costs, nor shall the insolvency fund pay any amount for judgments against a single insolvent licensee for non-sudden accidental occurrences to the extent that the total of all said judgments exceed ten million dollars, inclusive of interest and costs.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 19 Civil action; notice; payment of judgment exceeding insurance and assets; standing of insolvency fund

c. 21C, § 19. Civil action; notice; payment of judgment exceeding insurance and assets; standing of insolvency fund Section 19. (1) Any person who commences a civil action against a licensee for damages arising out of an occurrence or occurrences in the commonwealth of unintentional release of hazardous waste into the environment from a facility in the commonwealth, shall give notice of the filing of said action to the insolvency fund, together with a statement of the amount of damages sought in the said action, within one hundred and eighty days after commencing said action. Failure to give such notice within the period prescribed herein shall constitute a bar to any claim against the insolvency fund arising from any judgment entered in the said action. (2) At any time after notice has been given pursuant to subsection (1), the plaintiff, the licensee or any affected party in the subject civil action may give notice to the insolvency fund that the licensee is or may be an impaired or insolvent licensee. The insolvency fund shall have authority to negotiate, settle or compromise any potential covered claim on terms which, in its judgment, adequately satisfy its potential liabilities. (3) Any person who has provided timely notice of his claim against a licensee pursuant to subsection (1), whose claim has been reduced to a final judgment, all rights of appeal being exhausted, waived or expired and whose judgment exceeds the total of the amount of liability insurance or its equivalent available to satisfy the judgment and the amount of cash, marketable securities or other liquid assets available to satisfy the judgment, may give notice of the said facts to the insolvency fund. The insolvency fund shall thereupon promptly verify said facts and upon verification shall treat the claim as a covered claim and pay it within ninety days in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (c) of section eighteen. (4) If the insolvency fund fails to act within a reasonable period of time as provided in subsections (2) and (3), the commissioner shall have the powers and duties of the insolvency fund with respect to impaired or insolvent licensees. (5) The insolvency fund may render assistance and advice to the commissioner, upon his request, concerning rehabilitation, payment of claims or the performance of other contractual obligations of any impaired or insolvent licensee. (6) The insolvency fund shall have standing to appear before any court with jurisdiction over an impaired or insolvent licensee in any proceeding concerning matters for which the insolvency fund is or may become obligated under this chapter. Such standing shall extend to all matters germane to the powers and duties of the insolvency fund, including, but not limited to, proposals for insuring, modifying or guaranteeing the covered claims or potential covered claims of the impaired or insolvent licensee and the adjudication of the covered claims or potential covered claims. The insolvency fund shall also have the right to appear or intervene before any court with jurisdiction over a third party against whom the insolvency fund may have rights through subrogation, contribution or otherwise.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 20 Subrogation and contribution rights of insolvency fund

c. 21C, § 20. Subrogation and contribution rights of insolvency fund Section 20. (1) Any person receiving payment of a covered claim or potential covered claim under this chapter shall be deemed to have assigned the rights to, and any causes of action relating to the covered claim or potential covered claim to the insolvency fund to the extent of the benefits received under this chapter. The insolvency fund may require an assignment to it of such rights and cause of action by any payee as a condition precedent to the receipt of any right or benefits conferred upon such person. The insolvency fund shall be subrogated to the rights and cause of action of any such payee against the assets of the insolvent licensee. (2) The subrogation and contribution rights of the insolvency fund under this subsection shall have the same priority against the assets of the impaired or insolvent licensee as that possessed by the person entitled to receive said benefits. (3) In addition to paragraphs (1) and (2), the insolvency fund shall have all common law and statutory rights of subrogation, contribution and any other equitable or legal remedy which would have been available to the impaired or insolvent licensee or claimant with respect to such claim.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 21 Powers of insolvency fund

c. 21C, § 21. Powers of insolvency fund Section 21. (1) The insolvency fund, subject to the supervisory authority of the commissioner and as provided in the plan of operation, may: (a) enter into such contracts as are necessary or proper to carry out the provisions and purposes of this chapter; (b) sue or be sued, including taking any legal actions necessary or proper for recovery of any unpaid assessments; (c) borrow money to effect the purposes of sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive; (d) employ or retain such persons as are necessary to handle the financial transactions of the insolvency fund and to perform such other functions as become necessary or proper; (e) take such legal action as may be necessary to avoid payment of improper claims. (2) The insolvency fund may join an organization of one or more other state funds or associations of similar purposes, to further the purposes and administer the powers and duties of the insolvency fund.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 22 Assessments for funds necessary to carry out powers and duties of the insolvency fund; refunds

c. 21C, § 22. Assessments for funds necessary to carry out powers and duties of the insolvency fund; refunds Section 22. (1) For the purpose of providing the funds necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the insolvency fund, the board of directors shall assess the generators at such time and for such amounts as the board finds necessary. Assessments shall be due not less than sixty days after prior written notice to the generators and shall accrue interest at twelve per cent per annum on and after the due date. Failure without just cause to pay any lawful assessment pursuant to this section and in accordance with the plan shall constitute a violation of this chapter. (2) There shall be two classes of assessments, as follows: (a) Class A assessments shall be made for the purpose of meeting administrative costs and other expenses. Class A assessments may be made whether or not related to a particular impaired or insolvent licensee. (b) Class B assessments shall be made to the extent necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the insolvency fund under section nineteen with regard to an impaired or insolvent licensee. (3) The amount of any Class A assessment shall be determined by the board and may be made on a pro rata or non-pro rata basis. If pro rata, the board may provide that it be credited against future Class B assessments. A non-pro rata assessment shall not exceed one hundred and fifty dollars per generator in any one calendar year. (4) Class B assessments against generators shall be made pro rata in the proportion that the gallons of liquid hazardous waste or pounds of solid hazardous waste generated in the commonwealth by each assessed generator during the calendar year preceding the assessment bears to the total of such wastes generated by all generators in the commonwealth for the calendar year preceding the assessment. For purposes of this assessment, the department of environmental protection shall, at the request of the insolvency fund, determine the amount of such wastes in total and for each generator. One gallon of liquid hazardous waste shall be considered the equivalent of eight pounds of solid hazardous waste for purposes of calculating the assessment. (5) Assessments for funds to meet the requirements of the insolvency fund with respect to an impaired or insolvent licensee shall not be made until necessary to implement the purposes of sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive. Classification and computation of assessments under this subsection shall be made expeditiously and with reasonable accuracy, recognizing that exact determinations may not always be possible. (6) The insolvency fund may abate or defer, in whole or in part, the assessment of a generator if, in the opinion of the board, payment of the assessment would endanger the ability of the generator to continue in operation. In the event an assessment against a generator is abated, or deferred in whole or in part, the amount by which such assessment is abated or deferred may be assessed against the other generators in a manner consistent with the basis for assessments set forth in this section. (7) The total of all assessments upon a generator shall not in any one calendar year exceed ten per cent of such generator's average annual gross revenues received in the commonwealth during the three calendar years preceding the assessment. If the maximum assessment, together with the other assets of the insolvency fund, does not provide in any one year an amount sufficient to carry out the responsibilities of the insolvency fund, the necessary additional funds shall be assessed as soon thereafter as permitted by sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive. (8) The board may, by an equitable method as established in the plan of operation, refund to generators, in proportion to the contribution of each generator to the insolvency fund, the amount by which the assets of the insolvency fund exceed the amount the board finds is necessary to carry out during the coming year the obligations of the insolvency fund, including any assets accruing from assignment, subrogation, net realized gains and income from investments. A reasonable amount may be retained to provide funds for the continuing expenses of the insolvency fund and for future losses.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 23 Plan of operation of insolvency fund

c. 21C, § 23. Plan of operation of insolvency fund Section 23. (1) The insolvency fund shall submit to the commissioner a plan of operation and any amendments thereto necessary or suitable to assure the fair, reasonable and equitable administration of the insolvency fund. The plan of operation and any amendments thereto shall become effective upon approval by the commissioner. (2) If the insolvency fund fails to submit a plan of operation acceptable to the commissioner within one hundred and eighty days after the organization of the board of directors, or if at any time thereafter the insolvency fund fails to submit acceptable amendments to the plan, the commissioner shall, after notice and hearing, adopt and promulgate such reasonable rules necessary to effectuate the provisions of sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive. Such rules shall continue in force until modified by the commissioner or superseded by a plan submitted by the insolvency fund and approved by the commissioner. (a) All generators shall comply with the plan of operation. (b) The plan of operation shall, in addition to requirements enumerated elsewhere: (1) establish procedures for handling the assets of the insolvency fund, (2) establish the amount, if any, and method of reimbursing members of the board of directors under section seventeen, (3) establish regular places and times for meetings of the board of directors, (4) establish procedures for records to be kept of all financial transactions of the insolvency fund, its agents, and the board of directors, (5) establish any additional procedures for assessments under section twenty-one, (6) contain additional provisions necessary or proper for the execution of the powers and duties of the insolvency fund.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 24 Appeals; judicial review

c. 21C, § 24. Appeals; judicial review Section 24. Any action of the board of directors or the insolvency fund may be appealed to the commissioner by any generator or any person adversely affected thereby, if such appeal is taken within thirty days of the action being appealed. If a generator is appealing an assessment, the amount assessed shall be paid to the insolvency fund and available to meet insolvency fund obligations during the pendency of an appeal. If the appeal on the assessment is upheld, the amount paid in error or excess shall be returned to the generator. Any final action or order of the commissioner shall be subject to judicial review, pursuant to chapter thirty A.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 25 Detection and prevention of licensee insolvencies or impairments

c. 21C, § 25. Detection and prevention of licensee insolvencies or impairments Section 25. To aid in the detection and prevention of licensee insolvencies or impairments: (1) The commissioner may seek the advice and recommendations of the board of directors concerning any matter affecting his duties and responsibilities regarding the financial condition of licensees. (2) The board of directors may, upon majority vote, make reports and recommendations to the commissioner upon any matter germane to the solvency, liquidation, rehabilitation or conservation of any licensee. Such reports and recommendations shall not be subject to public examination or copying under chapter sixty-six. (3) It shall be the duty of the board of directors, upon majority vote, to notify the commissioner of any information indicating any licensee may be an impaired or insolvent licensee. (4) The board of directors may, upon majority vote, request that the commissioner order an examination of any licensee which the board in good faith believes may be an impaired or insolvent licensee. Within thirty days of the receipt of such request, the commissioner shall begin such examination. The examination may be conducted by such persons as the commissioner designates. The licensee shall provide complete access to all its books and records to the commissioner or his designee for purposes of said examination. The cost of such examination shall be paid by the insolvency fund. In no event shall the examination report be released to the public or to the board of directors without the consent of the licensee. The commissioner shall notify the board of directors when the examination is completed. The request for an examination and any examination report shall be kept on file by the commissioner, but it and the examination report shall not be open to public inspection without the consent of the licensee. (5) The board of directors may, upon majority vote, make recommendations to the commissioner for the detection and prevention of licensee insolvencies. (6) The board of directors shall, promptly after payment of any covered claims by the association, prepare a report to the commissioner containing such information as it may have in its possession bearing on the history and causes of the licensee's insolvency.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 26 Records of negotiations and meetings; insolvency fund as creditor

c. 21C, § 26. Records of negotiations and meetings; insolvency fund as creditor Section 26. (1) Records shall be kept of all negotiations and meetings in which the insolvency fund or its representatives are involved to discuss the activities of the insolvency fund in carrying out its powers and duties. Records of such negotiations or meetings shall be made public only upon the termination of a bankruptcy, liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceeding involving the impaired or insolvent licensee, upon the termination of the impairment or insolvency of the licensee, or upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this section shall limit the duty of the insolvency fund to render a report of its activities under section twenty-seven. (2) For the purposes of this chapter, the insolvency fund shall be deemed to be a creditor of the impaired or insolvent licensee to the extent of any amounts to which the association is entitled as subrogee. Assets of the impaired or insolvent licensee, wherever located, shall be used to pay all covered claims against the impaired or insolvent licensee as required.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 27 Examination and regulation of insolvency fund; reports

c. 21C, § 27. Examination and regulation of insolvency fund; reports Section 27. The insolvency fund shall be subject to examination and regulation by the commissioner. The board of directors shall submit to the commissioner each year, not later than one hundred and twenty days after the end of the insolvency fund's fiscal year, a report of its activities during the preceding fiscal year, and for any year in which it expended, received or held any funds, in which it incurred any financial obligations or in or before which it received a notice of any potential covered claim, a financial report in a form approved by the commissioner.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 28 Tax exemptions

c. 21C, § 28. Tax exemptions Section 28. The insolvency fund shall be exempt from payment of all taxes levied by the commonwealth or any of its subdivisions, except taxes levied on real property.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 29 Assessment of licensees

c. 21C, § 29. Assessment of licensees Section 29. Until such time as the insolvency fund ceases to exist, the commissioner of the department of environmental protection is hereby authorized to make an annual assessment against each licensee in an amount determined and certified by said commissioner as necessary to cover the costs incurred by the department and the division of insurance in carrying out their responsibilities relative to the administration of the insolvency fund pursuant to sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive. Said estimated assessment shall be allocated among all such licensees in a proportion deemed by the commissioner of said department to represent each licensee's pro rata share of the total amount of hazardous waste collection, treatment, disposal and storage within the commonwealth. Said assessment shall be paid to said commissioner of said department within thirty days of the date of the notice from said commissioner of such assessment. Failure without just cause to pay such assessment shall constitute a violation of this chapter. Prior to any such assessment the commissioner of insurance shall determine and certify to the commissioner of the department of environmental protection the costs incurred by the division of insurance in carrying out its responsibilities relative to the administration of the insolvency fund.

M.G.L. c. 21C, § 30 Insufficient funds; liability of commonwealth

c. 21C, § 30. Insufficient funds; liability of commonwealth Section 30. In the event that the monies in the insolvency fund are insufficient to provide for the purposes set forth in section eighteen, no claimant or any other person shall have any right to require the payment of funds or to compel any other action with respect to such occurrence by the commonwealth or by any agency thereof. Neither the commonwealth nor any agency thereof shall be liable for civil damages arising from any action taken in accordance with the provisions of sections fifteen to thirty, inclusive.

Source: Massachusetts General Court (malegislature.gov)URL: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter21CFetched: 10/20/2026