Chapter NR 667

NR 667.0112(1)(b) (b) The department’s approval of the plan shall ensure that the approved plan is consistent with ss. NR 667.0111 to 667.0115, 667.0176, 667.0201, and 667.1108.

NR 667.0112(2) (2) Satisfy the requirements for content of closure plan. The closure plan shall identify steps necessary to perform partial and final closure of the facility. The closure plan shall include, at least:

NR 667.0112(2)(a) (a) A description of how each hazardous waste management unit at the facility subject to this subchapter will be closed according to s. NR 667.0111.

NR 667.0112(2)(b) (b) A description of how final closure of the facility will be conducted according to s. NR 667.0111. The description shall identify the maximum extent of the operations which will be unclosed during the active life of the facility.

NR 667.0112(2)(c) (c) An estimate of the maximum inventory of hazardous wastes ever on site during the active life of the facility and a detailed description of the methods you shall use during partial and final closure, such as methods for removing, transporting, treating, storing, or disposing of all hazardous wastes and identification of the types of off-site hazardous waste management units to be used, if applicable.

NR 667.0112(2)(d) (d) A detailed description of the steps necessary to remove or decontaminate all hazardous waste residues and contaminated containment system components, equipment, structures, and soils during partial or final closure. These steps may include procedures for cleaning equipment and removing contaminated soils, methods for sampling and testing surrounding soils, and criteria for determining the extent of decontamination required to satisfy the closure performance standards.

NR 667.0112(2)(e) (e) A detailed description of other activities necessary during the closure period to ensure that partial or final closure satisfies the closure performance standards.

NR 667.0112(2)(f) (f) A schedule for closure of each hazardous waste management unit and for final closure of the facility. The schedule shall include, at a minimum, the total time required to close each hazardous waste management unit and the time required for intervening closure activities that allow tracking of progress of partial or final closure.

NR 667.0112(2)(g) (g) For facilities that use trust funds to establish financial assurance under s. NR 667.0143 and that are expected to close prior to the expiration of the license, an estimate of the expected year of final closure.

NR 667.0112(3) (3) You may submit a written notification to the department for a license modification to amend the closure plan at any time prior to the notification of partial or final closure of the facility, following the applicable procedures in s. NR 670.320.

NR 667.0112(3)(a) (a) Events leading to a change in the closure plan, and therefore requiring a modification, may include:

NR 667.0112(3)(a)1. 1. A change in the operating plan or facility design.

NR 667.0112(3)(a)2. 2. A change in the expected year of closure, if applicable.

NR 667.0112(3)(a)3. 3. In conducting partial or final closure activities, an unexpected event requiring a modification of the approved closure plan.

NR 667.0112(3)(b) (b) The written notification or request shall include a copy of the amended closure plan for review or approval by the department. The department shall approve, disapprove, or modify the amended plan according to the procedures in s. NR 670.320.

NR 667.0112(4) (4) Notification before final closure.

NR 667.0112(4)(a) (a) Notify the department in writing at least 45 days before the date that you expect to begin final closure of a treatment or storage tank, container storage area, or containment building.

NR 667.0112(4)(b) (b) The date when you expect to begin closure shall be no later than 30 days after the date that any hazardous waste management unit receives the known final volume of hazardous wastes.

NR 667.0112(4)(c) (c) If your facility’s license is terminated, or if you are otherwise ordered, by the department, or required by judicial decree or final order under 42 USC 6928 to cease receiving hazardous wastes or to close then the requirements of this subsection do not apply. However, you shall close the facility following the deadlines established in s. NR 667.0115 unless earlier deadlines are set in a department order, judicial decree, or final order under 42 USC 6928.

NR 667.0112 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.

NR 667.0113 NR 667.0113 Will the public have the opportunity to comment on the plan? The department shall provide the owner or operator and the public, when the draft standardized license is public noticed, the opportunity to submit written comments on the plan and to the draft license as allowed by s. NR 670.508. The department shall also, in response to a request or at the owner or operator’s own discretion, hold a public hearing whenever such a hearing might clarify one or more issues concerning the closure plan and the license.

NR 667.0113(2) (2) The department shall give public notice of the hearing 30 days before it occurs. Public notice of the hearing may be given at the same time as notice of the opportunity for the public to submit written comments and the two notices may be combined.

NR 667.0113 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.

NR 667.0115 NR 667.0115 After I stop operating, how long until I shall close?

NR 667.0115(1) (1) Within 90 days after the final volume of hazardous waste is sent to a unit, treat or remove from the unit all hazardous wastes following the approved closure plan.

NR 667.0115(2) (2) You shall complete final closure activities according to the approved closure plan within 180 days after the final volume of hazardous wastes is sent to the unit. The department may approve an extension of 180 days to the closure period if you comply with all applicable requirements for requesting a modification to the license and demonstrate that:

NR 667.0115(2)(a) (a) The final closure activities will take longer than 180 days to complete due to circumstances beyond your control, excluding ground water contamination.

NR 667.0115(2)(b) (b) You have taken and will continue to take all steps to prevent threats to human health and the environment from the unclosed, but not operating hazardous waste management unit or facility, including compliance with all applicable license requirements.

NR 667.0115(2)(c) (c) The demonstration shall be made at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the initial 180-day period.

NR 667.0115(3) (3) Nothing in this subsection precludes you from removing hazardous wastes and decontaminating or dismantling equipment according to the approved final closure plan at any time before or after notification of final closure.

NR 667.0115 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.

NR 667.0116 NR 667.0116 What shall I do with contaminated equipment, structure and soils? You shall properly dispose of or decontaminate all contaminated equipment, structures, and soils during the partial and final closure periods. By removing any hazardous wastes or hazardous constituents during partial and final closure, you may become a generator of hazardous waste and shall handle that waste following all applicable requirements of ch. NR 662.

NR 667.0116 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.

NR 667.0117 NR 667.0117 How do I certify closure? Within 60 days of the completion of final closure of each unit under a subch. J of ch. NR 670 standardized license, you shall submit to the department, by registered mail, a certification that each hazardous waste management unit or facility, as applicable, has been closed following the specifications in the closure plan. Both you and a qualified professional engineer shall sign the certification. You shall furnish documentation supporting the independent registered professional engineer’s certification to the department upon request until the department releases you from the financial assurance requirements for closure under s. NR 667.0143 (9).

NR 667.0117 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; correction made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2017 No. 739.

subch. H of ch. NR 667 Subchapter H — Financial Requirements

NR 667.0140 NR 667.0140 Who must comply with this subchapter, and briefly, what do they have to do?

NR 667.0140(1) (1) The requirements in this subchapter apply to owners and operators who treat or store hazardous waste under a subch. J of ch. NR 670 standardized license, except as provided in s. NR 667.0001 (2) or sub. (4).

NR 667.0140(2) (2) The owner or operator shall:

NR 667.0140(2)(a) (a) Prepare a closure cost estimate as required in s. NR 667.0142.

NR 667.0140(2)(b) (b) Demonstrate financial assurance for closure as required in s. NR 667.0143.

NR 667.0140(2)(c) (c) Demonstrate financial assurance for liability as required in s. NR 667.0147.

NR 667.0140(3) (3) The owner or operator shall notify the department if the owner or operator is named as a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding under Title 11 of the United States Code (See also s. NR 667.0148).

NR 667.0140(4) (4) States and the federal government are exempt from the requirements of this subchapter.

NR 667.0140 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; correction in (1) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register July 2017 No. 739.

NR 667.0141 NR 667.0141 Definitions of terms used in this subchapter. When used in this subchapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

NR 667.0141(1) (1) “Closure plan” means the plan for closure prepared according to the requirements of s. NR 667.0112.

NR 667.0141(2) (2) “Current closure cost estimate” means the most recent of the estimates prepared according to s. NR 667.0142 (1), (2), and (3).

NR 667.0141(4) (4) “Parent corporation” means a corporation that directly owns at least 50 percent of the voting stock of the corporation which is the facility owner or operator. The latter corporation is deemed a subsidiary of the parent corporation.

NR 667.0141(6) (6) The following terms are used in the specifications for the financial tests for closure and liability coverage. The definitions are intended to assist in the understanding of these regulations and are not intended to limit the meanings of terms in a way that conflicts with generally accepted accounting practices:

NR 667.0141(6)(a) (a) “Assets” means all existing and all probable future economic benefits obtained or controlled by a particular entity.

NR 667.0141(6)(b) (b) “Current plugging and abandonment cost estimate” means the most recent of the estimates prepared according to ch. NR 815.

NR 667.0141(6)(c) (c) “Independently audited” refers to an audit performed by an independent certified public accountant according to generally accepted auditing standards.

NR 667.0141(6)(d) (d) “Liabilities” means probable future sacrifices of economic benefits arising from present obligations to transfer assets or provide services to other entities in the future as a result of past transactions or events.

NR 667.0141(6)(e) (e) “Tangible net worth” means the tangible assets that remain after deducting liabilities. Tangible assets would not include intangibles such as goodwill and rights to patents or royalties.

NR 667.0141(7) (7) In the liability insurance requirements, the terms “bodily injury” and “property damage” shall have the meanings given these terms under state law. However, these terms do not include those liabilities which, consistent with standard industry practices, are excluded from coverage in liability policies for bodily injury and property damage. The department intends the meanings of other terms used in the liability insurance requirements to be consistent with their common meanings within the insurance industry. The following definitions of several of the terms are intended to assist in the understanding of these rules and are not intended to limit their meanings in a way that conflicts with general insurance industry usage:

NR 667.0141(7)(a) (a) “Accidental occurrence” means an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, which results in bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the insured.

NR 667.0141(7)(b) (b) “Legal defense costs” means any expenses that an insurer incurs in defending against claims of third parties brought under the terms and conditions of an insurance policy.

NR 667.0141(7)(c) (c) “Sudden accidental occurrence” means an occurrence which is not continuous or repeated in nature.

NR 667.0141(8) (8) “Substantial business relationship” means the extent of a business relationship necessary under applicable state statute to make a guarantee contract issued incident to that relationship valid and enforceable. A substantial business relationship shall arise from a pattern of recent or ongoing business transactions, in addition to the guarantee itself, such that a currently existing business relationship between the guarantor and the owner or operator is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department.

NR 667.0141 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17; correction

NR 667.0142 NR 667.0142 Cost estimate for closure.

NR 667.0142(1) (1) The owner or operator shall have at the facility a detailed written estimate, in current dollars, of the cost of closing the facility according to the requirements in ss. NR 667.0111 to 667.0115 and applicable closure requirements in ss. NR 667.0176, 667.0201, and 667.1108.

NR 667.0142(1)(a) (a) The estimate shall equal the cost of final closure at the point in the facility’s active life when the extent and manner of its operation would make closure the most expensive, as indicated by the closure plan (see s. NR 667.0112 (2)).

NR 667.0142(1)(b) (b) The closure cost estimate shall be based on the costs to the owner or operator of hiring a third party to close the facility. A third party is a party who is neither a parent nor a subsidiary of the owner or operator. (See definition of parent corporation in s. NR 667.0141 (4).)

NR 667.0142(1)(c) (c) The closure cost estimate may not incorporate any salvage value that may be realized with the sale of hazardous wastes or non-hazardous wastes, facility structures or equipment, land, or other assets associated with the facility at the time of partial or final closure.

NR 667.0142(1)(d) (d) The owner or operator may not incorporate a zero cost for hazardous wastes or non-hazardous wastes that might have economic value.

NR 667.0142(2) (2) During the active life of the facility, the owner or operator shall adjust the closure cost estimate for inflation within 60 days prior to the anniversary date of the establishment of the financial instruments used to comply with s. NR 667.0143. For owners and operators using the financial test or corporate guarantee, the closure cost estimate shall be updated for inflation within 30 days after the close of the firm’s fiscal year and before submission of updated information to the department as specified in s. NR 667.0143 (6) (b) 3. The adjustment may be made by recalculating the maximum costs of closure in current dollars or by using an inflation factor derived from the most recent Implicit Price Deflator for Gross Domestic Product published by the U.S. department of commerce in its Survey of Current Business, as specified in pars. (a) and (b). The inflation factor is the result of dividing the latest published annual Deflator by the Deflator for the previous year.

NR 667.0142(2)(a) (a) The first adjustment is made by multiplying the closure cost estimate by the inflation factor. The result is the adjusted closure cost estimate.

NR 667.0142(2)(b) (b) Subsequent adjustments are made by multiplying the latest adjusted closure cost estimate by the latest inflation factor.

NR 667.0142(3) (3) During the active life of the facility, the owner or operator shall revise the closure cost estimate no later than 30 days after the department has approved the request to modify the closure plan, if the change in the closure plan increases the cost of closure. The revised closure cost estimate shall be adjusted for inflation as specified in sub. (2).

NR 667.0142(4) (4) The owner or operator shall keep the following at the facility during the operating life of the facility: The latest closure cost estimate prepared according to subs. (1) and (3) and, when this estimate has been adjusted according to sub. (2), the latest adjusted closure cost estimate.

NR 667.0142 History History: CR 16-007: cr. Register July 2017 No. 739, eff. 8-1-17.

NR 667.0143 NR 667.0143 Financial assurance for closure. The owner or operator shall establish financial assurance for closure of each storage or treatment unit owned or operated. In establishing financial assurance for closure, the owner or operator shall choose from the financial assurance mechanisms in subs. (1) to (7). The owner or operator may also use a combination of mechanisms for a single facility if they meet the requirement in sub. (8), or may use a single mechanism for multiple facilities as in sub. (9). The department shall release the owner or operator from the requirements of this section after the owner or operator meets the criteria under sub. (10).

NR 667.0143(1) (1) Closure trust fund. Owners and operators can use the closure trust fund that is specified in s. NR 664.0143 (1) (a) and (b) and (f) to (k). The following provisions also apply:

NR 667.0143(1)(a) (a) Payments into the trust fund for a new facility shall be made annually by the owner or operator over the remaining operating life of the facility as estimated in the closure plan, or over 3 years, whichever period is shorter. This period of time is hereafter referred to as the pay-in period.

NR 667.0143(1)(b) (b) For a new facility, the first payment into the closure trust fund shall be made before the facility may accept the initial storage. A receipt from the trustee shall be submitted by the owner or operator to the department before this initial storage of waste. The first payment shall be at least equal to the current closure cost estimate, divided by the number of years in the pay-in period, except as provided in sub. (8) for multiple mechanisms. Subsequent payments shall be made no later than 30 days after each anniversary date of the first payment. The owner or operator determines the amount of each subsequent payment by subtracting the current value of the trust fund from the current closure cost estimate and dividing this difference by the number of years remaining in the pay-in period. Mathematically, the formula is Next Payment = (Current Closure Estimate – Current Value of the Trust Fund) Divided by Years Remaining in the Pay- in Period.

NR 667.0143(1)(c) (c) The owner or operator of a facility existing on August 1, 2017, may establish a trust fund to meet the financial assurance requirements in this section. If the value of the trust fund is less than the current closure cost estimate when a final approval of the license is granted for the facility, the owner or operator shall pay the difference into the trust fund within 60 days.

NR 667.0143(1)(d) (d) The owner or operator may accelerate payments into the trust fund or deposit the full amount of the closure cost estimate when establishing the trust fund. However, the owner or operator shall maintain the value of the fund at no less than the value that the fund would have if annual payments were made as specified in par. (b) or (c).

NR 667.0143(1)(e) (e) The owner or operator shall submit a trust agreement with the wording specified in s. NR 664.0151 (1) (a).

NR 667.0143(2) (2) Surety bond guaranteeing payment into a closure trust fund. Owners and operators can use the surety bond guaranteeing payment into a closure trust fund, as specified in s. NR 664.0143 (2), including the use of the surety bond instrument specified in s. NR 664.0151 (2) and the standby trust specified in s. NR 664.0143 (2) (c).

NR 667.0143(3) (3) Surety bond guaranteeing performance of closure. Owners and operators can use the surety bond guaranteeing performance of closure, as specified in s. NR 664.0143 (3), the submission and use of the surety bond instrument specified in s. NR 664.0151 (3).

NR 667.0143(4) (4) Closure letter of credit. Owners and operators can use the closure letter of credit specified in s. NR 664.0143 (4) and the submission and use of the irrevocable letter of credit instrument specified in s. NR 664.0151 (4).

NR 667.0143(5) (5) Closure insurance. Owners and operators can use closure insurance, as specified in s. NR 664.0143 (5), utilizing the certificate of insurance for closure specified s. NR 664.0151 (5).

NR 667.0143(6) (6) Corporate financial test. An owner or operator that satisfies the requirements of this section may demonstrate financial assurance up to the amount specified in this subsection:

NR 667.0143(6)(a) (a) Financial component.

NR 667.0143(6)(a)1. 1. The owner or operator shall satisfy one of the following three conditions:

NR 667.0143(6)(a)1.a. a. A current rating for its senior unsecured debt of AAA, AA, A, or BBB as issued by Standard and Poor’s or Aaa, Aa, A, or Baa as issued by Moody’s Investors Services.

NR 667.0143(6)(a)1.b. b. A ratio of less than 1.5 comparing total liabilities to net worth.