Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Sen. Nava Introduces SB 382, Allowing Permit Denials for "Bad Actors"

Sen.Cynthia Nava has introduced a bill amending the Air Quality Control Act that would, among other things, allow the state Department of Environment to deny or revoke a permit to entities that have a poor compliance record. Sections of the bill apply to entities that have "exhibited a history of willful disregard for environmental laws," or misrepresented material facts in applications, or failed to disclose required information, among other causes for potential revocation of a permit.

This bill strengthens the authority of the Secretary of the Environment to act against an actor that may have shown bad faith in the application procedure or while holding a permit. Some citizens in Mesquite are likely to comb the bill to check against its potential applicability to Helena Chemical Company, which has been embroiled in environmentally-based controversies for several years.

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