(1) The department is authorized to enter into integrated environmental compliance agreements with small communities in accordance with the provisions of this section.
The environmental requirements that may be addressed in an integrated environmental compliance agreement are the requirements established by or pursuant to article 7, 8, 11, or 15 of this title, article 20.5 of title 8, C.R.S., or article 20 of title 30, C.R.S. An integrated environmental compliance agreement may address environmental requirements applicable to a solid waste disposal site and facility only if such site and facility receives twenty tons per day or less of solid waste.
Any integrated environmental compliance agreement with a small community shall:
Identify actions to be taken by the small community, including a schedule with interim deadlines, that will result in compliance with each of the applicable individual environmental requirements as soon as practicable, within an overall period not to exceed ten years;
Be consistent with an approved environmental priorities plan for the small community;
Contain a provision directing that the agreement will not take effect until the community's registered electors have approved any creation of a multiple-fiscal year debt or other financial obligation for which an election is required by section 20 of article X of the Colorado constitution and which is required to implement the terms of the agreement;
Be structured as a formal enforcement agreement to ensure continued compliance orto resolve an existing compliance issue involving a small community; and
Be enforceable pursuant to the provisions of the statutes governing the individualenvironmental requirements addressed in the agreement with respect to any of the agreement deadlines that are not met.
A small community participating in the program created by this article shall providea copy of its proposed agreement to any person who has so requested in writing prior to the small community's submission of its plan to the department. Before the agreement is approved by the department, the department shall allow at least twenty days within which any person may review and submit written comments on the agreement to the small community and the department.
An integrated environmental compliance agreement may be amended by agreementof the small community and the department to address compliance concerns not anticipated at the time of the original agreement. The amended agreement shall require compliance with any new requirement added to the amended agreement as soon as practicable, within an overall period not to exceed ten years from the date of the amendment. The deadline for any requirement addressed in the original agreement may be extended as a part of the amendment of the agreement, but the deadline may not be extended beyond ten years after the date of the original agreement.
An integrated environmental compliance agreement entered into under this articleshall not be deemed to impair, modify, or otherwise affect prior agreements entered into between a small community and any entity other than the department.
Any provision of an integrated compliance agreement implementing a requirementthat, absent such agreement, would no longer be applicable as the result of repeal or modification of a statutory or regulatory requirement shall be unenforceable.
No component of an integrated environmental compliance agreement that would result in an increased regulatory compliance burden on any other entity shall be approved without such entity's consent.
Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of this section notwithstanding, if requested by thesmall community, the department may file in district court a complaint and a proposed consent order embodying the requirements of the integrated environmental compliance agreement to require compliance with any applicable standard, limitation, or order.
Source: L. 95: Entire article added, p. 1007, § 1, effective July 1. L. 96: (2) amended, p. 1473, § 24, effective June 1.