Substitute Senate Bill No. 301
AN ACT MODIFYING THE STANDARD FOR MANDATORY REPORTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL SPILLS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 22a-450 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(a) The master of any ship, boat, barge or other vessel, or the person in charge of any terminal for the loading or unloading of any oil or petroleum or chemical liquids or solid, liquid or gaseous products, or hazardous wastes, or the person in charge of any establishment, or the operator of any vehicle, trailer or other machine which by accident, negligence or otherwise causes the discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration of oil or petroleum or chemical liquids or solid, liquid or gaseous products, or hazardous wastes which poses a potential threat to human health or the environment, shall immediately report to the commissioner such facts as the commissioner by regulation may require. Any such report shall include, but not be limited to, the location, the quantity and the type of substance, material or waste, the date and the cause of the discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration, the name and address of the owner of the ship, boat, barge or other vessel, terminal, establishment, vehicle, trailer or machine, and the name and address of the person making the report and his or her relationship to the owner. Any person who fails to make a report required by this section may be fined not more than one thousand dollars and the employer of such person may be fined not more than five thousand dollars, except that any person who fails to make a report relating to the discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration of gasoline shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars and the employer of such person may be fined not more than ten thousand dollars.
(b) On and after the effective date of the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the report described in subsection (a) of this section shall be required whenever the discharge, spillage, uncontrolled loss, seepage or filtration of oil or petroleum or chemical liquids or solid, liquid or gaseous products, or hazardous wastes occurring on or after such date exceeds the applicable threshold adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. The reporting requirements set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall apply until the effective date of such regulations.
(c) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to define the threshold amounts for discharges, spillages, uncontrolled losses, seepages or filtrations that shall be reported to the commissioner pursuant to this section. Such regulations may include the specification of any facts, in addition to those specified in subsection (a) of this section, that shall be included in any report submitted under this section.
Approved June 7, 2016