Section 65-3406 - Duties and functions of secretary; rules and regulations; exemption of certain solid waste disposal areas from certain requirements(a) The secretary is authorized and directed to:(1) Adopt such rules and regulations, standards and procedures relative to solid waste management as necessary to protect the public health and environment, prevent public nuisances and enable the secretary to carry out the purposes and provisions of this act.(2) Report to the legislature on further assistance needed to administer the solid waste management program.(3) Administer the solid waste management program pursuant to provisions of this act.(4) Cooperate with appropriate federal, state, interstate and local units of government and with appropriate private organizations in carrying out duties under this act.(5) Develop a statewide solid waste management plan.(6) Provide technical assistance, including the training of personnel to cities, counties and other political subdivisions.(7) Initiate, conduct and support research, demonstration projects and investigations and coordinate all state agency research programs with applicable federal programs pertaining to solid waste management systems.(8) Establish policies for effective solid waste management systems.(9) Assist counties and groups of counties to establish and implement solid waste planning and management.(10) Authorize issuance of such permits and orders and conduct such inspections as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act and the rules and regulations and standards adopted pursuant to this act.(11) Conduct and contract for research and investigations in the overall area of solid waste storage, collection, transportation, processing, treatment, recovery and disposal including, but not limited to, new and novel procedures.(12) Adopt rules and regulations for permitting of all solid waste disposal areas, including those that are privately owned.(13) Adopt rules and regulations establishing criteria for the location of processing facilities and disposal areas for solid wastes.(14) Adopt rules and regulations establishing appropriate measures for monitoring solid waste disposal areas and processing facilities, both during operation and after closure.(15) Adopt rules and regulations requiring that, for such period of time as the secretary shall specify, any assignment, sale, conveyance or transfer of all or any part of the property upon which a permitted disposal area for solid waste is or has been located shall be subject to such terms and conditions as to the use of such property as the secretary shall specify to protect human health and the environment.(16) Adopt suitable measures, including rules and regulations if appropriate, to encourage recovery and recycling of solid waste for reuse whenever feasible.(17) Adopt rules and regulations establishing standards for transporters of solid waste.(18) Adopt rules and regulations establishing minimum standards for closing, termination, and long-term care of sites for the land disposal of solid waste. In this subsection, "site" refers to a site for the land disposal of solid waste which has a permit issued under K.S.A. 65-3407 and amendments thereto. The owner of a site shall be responsible for the long-term care of the site for 30 years after the closing of the site, except the secretary may extend the long-term care responsibility of a particular site or sites as the secretary deems necessary to protect the public health and safety or the environment. Any person acquiring rights of ownership, possession or operation in a permitted site or facility for the land disposal of solid waste at any time after the site has begun to accept waste and prior to closure shall be subject to all requirements of the permit for the site or facility, including the requirements relating to long-term care of the site or facility.(19) Enter into cooperative agreements with the secretary of commerce for the development and implementation of statewide market development for recyclable materials.(20) Adopt rules and regulations for the management of nonhazardous special wastes.(b) In adopting rules and regulations, the secretary shall allow the exemption contained in subsection (f)(1) of 40 C.F.R. 258.1 (October 9, 1991), as amended and in effect on the effective date of this act.(c)(1) Any rules and regulations adopted by the secretary which establish standards for solid waste processing facilities or solid waste disposal areas that are more stringent than the standards required by federal law or applicable federal regulations on such date shall not become effective until 45 days after the beginning of the next ensuing session of the legislature, which date shall be specifically provided in such rule and regulation.(2) The provisions of subsection (c)(1) shall not apply to rules and regulations adopted before January 1, 1995, which establish standards for location, design and operation of solid waste processing facilities and disposal areas.(d) Any solid waste disposal area which qualifies for the exemption provided for by subsection (b) and which successfully demonstrates that naturally occurring geological conditions provide sufficient protection against groundwater contamination shall not be required to construct a landfill liner or leachate collection system. The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations which establish criteria for performing this demonstration and standards for liner and leachate collection systems for exempt landfills which fail the demonstration. Solid waste disposal areas which qualify for the exemption provided for by subsection (b) may be designed with trenches or units which have straight vertical walls. All solid waste disposal areas which qualify for the exemption provided for by subsection (b) shall be required to comply with all applicable rules and regulations adopted by the secretary and approved by the U.S. environmental protection agency, including location restrictions, operating requirements and closure standards for municipal solid waste landfills. Operating requirements include, but are not limited to, hazardous waste screening, daily cover, intermediate cover, disease vector control, gas monitoring and management, air emissions, survey controls, compaction, recordkeeping and groundwater monitoring. The identification of groundwater contamination caused by disposal activities at a solid waste disposal area which has qualified for the exemption provided for by subsection (b) shall result in:
(1) The loss of such exemption; and(2) the application of all corrective action and design requirements specified in federal laws and regulations, or in equivalent rules and regulations adopted by the secretary and approved by the U.S. environmental protection agency, to such disposal area.L. 1970, ch. 264, § 6; L. 1974, ch. 352, § 159; L. 1975, ch. 312, § 12; L. 1977, ch. 221, § 2; L. 1979, ch. 202, § 5; L. 1981, ch. 251, § 22; L. 1992, ch. 316, § 4; L. 1993, ch. 274, § 2; L. 1994, ch. 283, § 2; L. 1995, ch. 140, § 1; L. 1997, ch. 139, § 1; July 1.