Sec. 22a-135. (Formerly Sec. 19-408a). Duties of Department of Environmental Protection re nuclear energy and radiation. Fees. Reporting of nuclear incidents. (a) The Department of Environmental Protection shall: (1) Review the plans for
and operation of safety programs at nuclear plants; (2) make recommendations to the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerning third-party inspection of components and
construction of nuclear plants for the purpose of improving quality assurance plans and
programs; (3) require the immediate reporting to the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection or his designee, which may be another state agency, by licensees of the United
States Nuclear Regulatory Commission which operate nuclear power generating facilities in this state as soon as the licensee has knowledge or, in the exercise of reasonable
care should have had knowledge of (A) any release of radiation which is unplanned,
unmonitored or which exceeds design standards and specifications established by the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and (B) any occurrence, incident or other abnormal
circumstance, unless it is immediately evident that such occurrence, incident or circumstance is not required to be reported within twenty-four hours or sooner to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission; (4) monitor radiation originating from nuclear plants and perform tests to detect any buildup of radioactivity in the soil, water, plants or animals of
the state; (5) review the training and education of workers at nuclear plants to insure
awareness of the possible risks of cancer and future genetic effects; (6) represent the
interests of the state in federal and state regulatory hearings and other administrative
actions concerning nuclear plants which affect the state; (7) intervene in federal proceedings and petition federal agencies for revision of existing regulations where appropriate;
(8) conduct periodic on-site evaluations of the effectiveness and enforcement of federal
regulations for the packaging and transportation of radioactive material; (9) study plans
for, and hazards inherent in the decommissioning of Connecticut nuclear plants including the possible future use of land now in use by a nuclear power facility; (10) study
the storage problems posed by high level wastes; (11) study and, in cooperation with
the state police, monitor the security of nuclear plants to assure that the dangers from
sabotage and terrorism are minimized; (12) monitor sources of ionizing radiation, microwave radiation and radioactive materials within the state; (13) review the state emergency plan for radiation safety; and (14) investigate out-of-state potential radiological
hazards which may have a significant adverse effect upon the health or safety of the
people of the state. The commissioner shall charge each of the four nuclear-powered
commercial electric power generating plants an annual fee of sixty thousand dollars for
monitoring radiation released from such plants. Nuclear fuels radiation facilities shall
pay an annual fee of fifteen thousand dollars for monitoring such plants.
(b) In addition to the reporting required of a licensee pursuant to the provisions of
subdivision (3) of subsection (a), the department may require the reporting immediately
or within such time period as the department may designate of any additional occurrence,
incident or other abnormal circumstance which is not required to be reported within
twenty-four hours or sooner to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The department
shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to carry out the provisions of
this subsection.
(P.A. 78-214, S. 1, 4; P.A. 80-351, S. 1, 5; P.A. 90-231, S. 4, 28; P.A. 91-369, S. 22, 36; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6,
S. 121.)
History: P.A. 80-351 replaced previous Subdiv. (3) in Subsec. (a) which had required immediate report to department
"by nuclear facilities of any incidents required to be reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission" with more specific
provisions and added Subsec. (b) re additional reports which may be required; Sec. 19-408a transferred to Sec. 22a-135
in 1981; P.A. 90-231 amended Subsec. (a) to require facilities to pay annual fees and provided that on and after July 1,
1993, the fees shall be prescribed by regulations; P.A. 91-369 amended Subsec. (a) to restate commissioner's authority to
adopt regulations setting the fees required by this section; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a) to increase
annual monitoring fee for generating plants from forty thousand to sixty thousand dollars and annual monitoring fee for
nuclear fuels radiation facilities from ten thousand to fifteen thousand dollars and to delete provisions re regulations to
prescribe amount of fees, effective August 20, 2003.
See Sec. 22a-27i re exemption of municipality for one year.
Sec. 22a-136. Moratorium on construction of nuclear power facilities. No construction shall commence on a fifth nuclear power facility until the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection finds that the United States Government, through its authorized agency, has identified and approved a demonstrable technology or means for the
disposal of high level nuclear waste. As used in this section, "high level nuclear waste"
means those aqueous wastes resulting from the operation of the first cycle of the solvent
extraction system or equivalent and the concentrated wastes of the subsequent extraction
cycles or equivalent in a facility for reprocessing irradiated reactor fuel and shall include
spent fuel assemblies prior to fuel reprocessing.
(P.A. 79-487.)
Sec. 22a-137. Burial of nuclear radioactive waste regulated. Certain low-level
wastes exempted. (a) No individual, partnership, corporation or association, or state
or local government or political subdivision or instrumentality thereof shall bury any
nuclear radioactive waste within this state unless the General Assembly finds that the
burial of such waste will not have a significant adverse effect upon the public health,
safety and welfare of the state and approves, by special act, the burial of such waste.
An application to bury such waste shall be submitted to the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate and shall be referred by
them to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to the environment.
(b) Upon receipt of an application to bury nuclear radioactive waste, the committee
shall notify the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Commissioner of
Public Health and said commissioners shall submit to said committee, within forty-five
days, an evaluation of the impact of the proposed burial upon the state.
(c) Within sixty days of receipt of an application the committee shall hold a public
hearing. Notice of the hearing shall be published for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the county in which the proposed burial site is to be
located, the last publication to be at least two weeks prior to the date of the hearing. Not
less than thirty days prior to such public hearing, the committee shall give notice of
such hearing by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the legislative body and the
regional planning agency for the municipality in which the proposed burial site is to be
located and for each contiguous municipality.
(d) The committee shall report to the General Assembly its recommendation for
approval or disapproval of the proposed burial and burial site. A recommendation for
approval of the proposed burial and burial site shall include findings that such burial
and burial site: (1) Will not have a significant adverse effect upon the health, safety, air
or water quality, or the economy of the affected region and (2) will not significantly
interfere with the orderly development of such region with due consideration having
been given to any recommendations of the regional planning agencies and the municipal
legislative bodies.
(e) No state officer, agency or department shall approve or license any proposed
burial or burial site or obtain any such approval or license from any state or federal
agency or board unless such proposed burial and burial site have been approved by
special act of the General Assembly.
(f) The provisions of this section shall not apply to the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in accordance with the provisions of sections 22a-161 to 22a-165f, inclusive.
(P.A. 79-488, S. 1-3; P.A. 91-337, S. 3, 15; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58.)
History: P.A. 91-337 replaced existing Subsec. (f) re burial of certain waste with provisions re burial of low-level
radioactive waste in accordance with the provisions of Secs. 22a-161 to 22a-165f, inclusive; P.A. 93-381 authorized
substitution of commissioner and department of public health and addiction services for commissioner and department of
health services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction
Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995.