(a) There is hereby established a special fund to be known as the Environmental Permit Fund. Within the Fund, there shall be two accounts: the Environmental Permit Account and the Air Pollution Control Account. Unless otherwise specified, fees collected in accordance with subsections 2822(i) and (j) of this title and 10 V.S.A. § 2625 and gifts and appropriations shall be deposited in the Environmental Permit Account. Fees collected in accordance with subsections 2822(j)(1), (k), and (m) of this title shall be deposited in the Air Pollution Control Account. The Environmental Permit Fund shall be used to implement the programs specified under section 2822 of this title. The Secretary of Natural Resources shall be responsible for the Fund and shall account for the revenues and expenditures of the Agency of Natural Resources. The Environmental Permit Fund shall be subject to the provisions of 32 V.S.A. chapter 7, subchapter 5. The Environmental Permit Fund shall be used to cover a portion of the costs of administering the Environmental Division established under 4 V.S.A. chapter 27. The amount of $143,000.00 per fiscal year shall be disbursed for this purpose.

(b) Any fee required to be collected under subdivision 2822(j)(1) of this title shall be utilized solely to cover all reasonable (direct or indirect) costs required to support the operating permit program authorized under 10 V.S.A. chapter 23. Any fee required to be collected under subsection 2822(k) or (m) of this title for air pollution control permits or registrations or motor vehicle registrations shall be utilized solely to cover all reasonable (direct or indirect) costs required to support the programs authorized under 10 V.S.A. chapter 23. Fees collected pursuant to subsections 2822(k) and (m) of this title shall be used by the Secretary to fund activities related to the Secretary's hazardous or toxic contaminant monitoring programs and motor vehicle-related programs. (Added 1989, No. 279 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. June 30, 1990; amended 1993, No. 92, § 8; 1995, No. 186 (Adj. Sess.), § 19, eff. May 22, 1996; 1997, No. 15, § 2, eff. May 6, 1997; 1997, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), § 31; 2001, No. 65, § 22; 2003, No. 163 (Adj. Sess.), § 18; 2007, No. 65, § 397, eff. June 4, 2007; 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 236; 2011, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § E.700; 2015, No. 97 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)