(a) States shall submit to the Administrator a proposed State UIC program complying with § 145.22 of this part within 270 days of the date of promulgation of the UIC regulations on June 24, 1980. The administrator may, for good cause, extend the date for submission of a proposed State UIC program for up to an additional 270 days.

(b) States shall submit to the Administrator 6 months after the date of promulgation of the UIC regulations a report describing the State's progress in developing a UIC program. If the Administrator extends the time for submission of a UIC program an additional 270 days, pursuant to § 145.21(a), the State shall submit a second report six months after the first report is due. The Administrator may prescribe the manner and form of the report.

(c) The requirements of § 145.21 (a) and (b) shall not apply to Indian Tribes.

(d) EPA will establish a UIC program in any State which does not comply with paragraph (a) of this section. EPA will continue to operate a UIC program in such a State until the State receives approval of a UIC program in accordance with the requirements of this part.

Note:

States which are authorized to administer the NPDES permit program under section 402 of CWA are encouraged to rely on existing statutory authority, to the extent possible, in developing a State UIC program. Section 402(b)(1)(D) of CWA requires that NPDES States have the authority “to issue permits which control the disposal of pollutants into wells.” In many instances, therefore, NPDES States will have existing statutory authority to regulate well disposal which satisfies the requirements of the UIC program. Note, however, that CWA excludes certain types of well injections from the definition of “pollutant.” If the State's statutory authority contains a similar exclusion it may need to be modified to qualify for UIC program approval.

(e) If a State can demonstrate to EPA's satisfaction that there are no underground injections within the State for one or more classes of injection wells (other than Class IV wells) subject to SDWA and that such injections cannot legally occur in the State until the State has developed an approved program for those classes of injections, the State need not submit a program to regulate those injections and a partial program may be approved. The demonstration of legal prohibition shall be made by either explicitly banning new injections of the class not covered by the State program or providing a certification from the State Attorney General that such new injections cannot legally occur until the State has developed an approved program for that class. The State shall submit a program to regulate both those classes of injections for which a demonstration is not made and class IV wells.

(f) When a State UIC program is fully approved by EPA to regulate all classes of injections, the State assumes primary enforcement authority under section 1422(b)(3) of SDWA. EPA retains primary enforcement responsibility whenever the State program is disapproved in whole or in part. States which have partially approved programs have authority to enforce any violation of the approved portion of their program. EPA retains authority to enforce violations of State underground injection control programs, except that, when a State has a fully approved program, EPA will not take enforcement actions without providing prior notice to the State and otherwise complying with section 1423 of SDWA.

(g) A State can assume primary enforcement responsibility for the UIC program, notwithstanding § 145.21(3), when the State program is unable to regulate activities on Indian lands within the State. EPA will administer the program on Indian lands if the State does not seek this authority.

(h) To establish a Federal UIC Class VI program in States not seeking full UIC primary enforcement responsibility approval, pursuant to the SDWA section 1422(c), States shall, by September 6, 2011, submit to the Administrator a new or revised State UIC program complying with §§ 145.22 or 145.32 of this part. Beginning on September 6, 2011 the requirements of subpart H of part 146 of this chapter will be applicable and enforceable by EPA in each State that has not received approval of a new Class VI program application under section 1422 of the Safe Drinking Water Act or a revision of its UIC program under section 1422 of the Safe Drinking Water Act to incorporate subpart H of part 146. Following September 6, 2011, EPA will publish a list of the States where subpart H of part 146 has become applicable.

[48 FR 14202, Apr. 1, 1983, as amended at 53 FR 37412, Sept. 26, 1988; 75 FR 77290, Dec. 10, 2010]

(a) Any State that seeks to administer a program under this part shall submit to the Administrator at least three copies of a program submission. For Class VI programs, the entire submission can be sent electronically. The submission shall contain the following:

(1) A letter from the Governor of the State requesting program approval;

(2) A complete program description, as required by § 145.23, describing how the State intends to carry out its responsibilities under this part;

(3) An Attorney General's statement as required by § 145.24;

(4) A Memorandum of Agreement with the Regional Administrator as required by § 145.25;

(5) Copies of all applicable State statutes and regulations, including those governing State administrative procedures;

(6) The showing required by § 145.31(b) of the State's public participation activities prior to program submission.

(b) Within 30 days of receipt by EPA of a State program submission, EPA will notify the State whether its submission is complete. If EPA finds that a State's submission is complete, the statutory review period (i.e., the period of time allotted for formal EPA review of a proposed State program under the Safe Drinking Water Act) shall be deemed to have begun on the date of receipt of the State's submission. If EPA finds that a State's submission is incomplete, the statutory review period shall not begin until all the necessary information is received by EPA.

(c) If the State's submission is materially changed during the statutory review period, the statutory review period shall begin again upon receipt of the revised submission.

(d) The State and EPA may extend the statutory review period by agreement.

[48 FR 14202, Apr. 1, 1983, as amended at 75 FR 77290, Dec. 10, 2010]

Any State that seeks to administer a program under this part shall submit a description of the program it proposes to administer in lieu of the Federal program under State law or under an interstate compact. For Class VI programs, the entire submission can be sent electronically. The program description shall include:

(a) A description in narrative form of the scope, structure, coverage and processes of the State program.

(b) A description (including organization charts) of the organization and structure of the State agency or agencies which will have responsibility for administering the program, including the information listed below. If more than one agency is responsible for administration of a program, each agency must have statewide jurisdiction over a class of activities. The responsibilities of each agency must be delineated, their procedures for coordination set forth, and an agency may be designated as a “lead agency” to facilitate communications between EPA and the State agencies having program responsibility. When the State proposes to administer a program of greater scope of coverage than is required by Federal law, the information provided under this paragraph shall indicate the resources dedicated to administering the Federally required portion of the program.

(1) A description of the State agency staff who will carry out the State program, including the number, occupations, and general duties of the employees. The State need not submit complete job descriptions for every employee carrying out the State program.

(2) An itemization of the estimated costs of establishing and administering the program for the first two years after approval, including cost of the personnel listed in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, cost of administrative support, and cost of technical support.

(3) An itemization of the sources and amounts of funding, including an estimate of Federal grant money, available to the State Director for the first two years after approval to meet the costs listed in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, identifying any restrictions or limitations upon this funding.

(c) A description of applicable State procedures, including permitting procedures and any State administrative or judicial review procedures.

(d) Copies of the permit form(s), application form(s), reporting form(s), and manifest format the State intends to employ in its program. Forms used by States need not be identical to the forms used by EPA but should require the same basic information. The State need not provide copies of uniform national forms it intends to use but should note its intention to use such forms. For Class VI programs, submit copies of the current forms in use by the State, if any.

(e) A complete description of the State's compliance tracking and enforcement program.

(f) A State UIC program description shall also include:

(1) A schedule for issuing permits within five years after program approval to all injection wells within the State which are required to have permits under this part and 40 CFR part 144. For Class VI programs, a schedule for issuing permits within two years after program approval;

(2) The priorities (according to criteria set forth in § 146.9 of this chapter) for issuing permits, including the number of permits in each class of injection well which will be issued each year during the first five years of program operation. For Class VI programs, include the priorities for issuing permits and the number of permits which will be issued during the first two years of program operation;

(3) A description of how the Director will implement the mechanical integrity testing requirements of § 146.8 of this chapter, or, for Class VI wells, the mechanical integrity testing requirements of § 146.89 of this chapter, including the frequency of testing that will be required and the number of tests that will be reviewed by the Director each year;

(4) A description of the procedure whereby the Director will notify owners or operators of injection wells of the requirement that they apply for and obtain a permit. The notification required by this paragraph shall require applications to be filed as soon as possible, but not later than four years after program approval for all injection wells requiring a permit. For Class VI programs approved before December 10, 2011, a description of the procedure whereby the Director will notify owners or operators of any Class I wells previously permitted for the purpose of geologic sequestration or Class V experimental technology wells no longer being used for experimental purposes that will continue injection of carbon dioxide for the purpose of GS that they must apply for a Class VI permit pursuant to requirements at § 146.81(c) within one year of December 10, 2011. For Class VI programs approved following December 10, 2011, a description of the procedure whereby the Director will notify owners or operators of any Class I wells previously permitted for the purpose of geologic sequestration or Class V experimental technology wells no longer being used for experimental purposes that will continue injection of carbon dioxide for the purpose of GS or Class VI wells previously permitted by EPA that they must apply for a Class VI permit pursuant to requirements at § 146.81(c) within one year of Class VI program approval;

(5) A description of any rule under which the Director proposes to authorize injections, including the text of the rule;

(6) For any existing enhanced recovery and hydrocarbon storage wells which the Director proposes to authorize by rule, a description of the procedure for reviewing the wells for compliance with applicable monitoring, reporting, construction, and financial responsibility requirements of §§ 144.51 and 144.52, and 40 CFR part 146;

(7) A description of and schedule for the State's program to establish and maintain a current inventory of injection wells which must be permitted under State law;

(8) Where the Director had designated underground sources of drinking water in accordance with § 144.7(a), a description and identification of all such designated sources in the State;

(9) A description of aquifers, or parts thereof, which the Director has identified under § 144.7(b) as exempted aquifers, and a summary of supporting data. For Class VI programs only, States must incorporate information related to any EPA approved exemptions expanding the areal extent of existing aquifer exemptions for Class II enhanced oil recovery or enhanced gas recovery wells transitioning to Class VI injection for geologic sequestration pursuant to requirements at §§ 146.4(d) and 144.7(d), including a summary of supporting data and the specific location of the aquifer exemption expansions. Other than expansions of the areal extent of Class II enhanced oil recovery or enhanced gas recovery well aquifer exemptions for Class VI injection, new aquifer exemptions shall not be issued for Class VI wells or injection activities;

(10) A description of and schedule for the State's program to ban Class IV wells prohibited under § 144.13; and

(11) A description of and schedule for the State's program to establish an inventory of Class V wells and to assess the need for a program to regulate Class V wells.

(12) For Class V programs only. A description of and a schedule for the State's plan to identify and delineate other sensitive ground water areas. States should consider geologic and hydrogeologic settings, ground water flow and occurrence, topographic and geographic features, depth to ground water, significance as a drinking water source, prevailing land use practices and any other existing information relating to the susceptibility of ground water to contamination from Class V injection wells when developing their plan. Within the schedule for the plan, States must commit to: completing all delineations of other sensitive ground water areas by no later than Jan. 1, 2004; making these delineation available to the public; implementing the Class V regulations, effective April 5, 2000, in these delineated areas by no later than January 1, 2007. Alternately, if a State chooses not to identify other sensitive ground water areas, the requirements for motor vehicle waste disposal wells would apply statewide by January 1, 2007.

(13) For Class VI programs, a description of the procedure whereby the Director must notify, in writing, any States, Tribes, and Territories of any permit applications for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide wherein the area of review crosses State, Tribal, or Territory boundaries, resulting in the need for trans-boundary coordination related to an injection operation.

[48 FR 14202, Apr. 1, 1983, as amended at 64 FR 68572, Dec. 7, 1999; 75 FR 77290, Dec. 10, 2010]

(a) Any State that seeks to administer a program under this part shall submit a statement from the State Attorney General (or the attorney for those State or interstate agencies which have independent legal counsel) that the laws of the State, or an interstate compact, provide adequate authority to carry out the program described under § 145.23 and to meet the requirements of this part. This statement shall include citations to the specific statutes, administrative regulations, and, where appropriate, judicial decisions which demonstrate adequate authority. State statutes and regulations cited by the State Attorney General or independent legal counsel shall be in the form of lawfully adopted State statutes and regulations at the time the statement is signed and shall be fully effective by the time the program is approved. To qualify as “independent legal counsel” the attorney signing the statement required by this section must have full authority to independently represent the State agency in court on all matters pertaining to the State program.

Note:

EPA will supply States with an Attorney General's statement format on request.

(b) When a State seeks authority over activities on Indian lands, the statement shall contain an appropriate analysis of the State's authority.

(a) Any State that seeks to administer a program under this part shall submit a Memorandum of Agreement. The Memorandum of Agreement shall be executed by the State Director and the Regional Administrator and shall become effective when approved by the Administrator. In addition to meeting the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, the Memorandum of Agreement may include other terms, conditions, or agreements consistent with this part and relevant to the administration and enforcement of the State's regulatory program. The Administrator shall not approve any Memorandum of Agreement which contains provisions which restrict EPA's statutory oversight responsibility.

(b) The Memorandum of Agreement shall include the following:

(1) Provisions for the prompt transfer from EPA to the State of pending permit applications and any other information relevant to program operation not already in the possession of the State Director (e.g., support files for permit issuance, compliance reports, etc.). When existing permits are transferred from EPA to State for administration, the Memorandum of Agreement shall contain provisions specifying a procedure for transferring the administration of these permits. If a State lacks the authority to directly administer permits issued by the Federal government, a procedure may be established to transfer responsibility for these permits.

Note:

For example, EPA and the State and the permittee could agree that the State would issue a permit(s) identical to the outstanding Federal permit which would simultaneously be terminated.

(2) Provisions specifying classes and categories of permit applications, draft permits, and proposed permits that the State will send to the Regional Administrator for review, comment and, where applicable, objection.

(3) Provisions specifying the frequency and content of reports, documents and other information which the State is required to submit to EPA. The State shall allow EPA to routinely review State records, reports, and files relevant to the administration and enforcement of the approved program. State reports may be combined with grant reports where appropriate.

(4) Provisions on the State's compliance monitoring and enforcement program, including:

(i) Provisions for coordination of compliance monitoring activities by the State and by EPA. These may specify the basis on which the Regional Administrator will select facilities or activities within the State for EPA inspection. The Regional Administrator will normally notify the State at least 7 days before any such inspection; and

(ii) Procedures to assure coordination of enforcement activities.

(5) When appropriate, provisions for joint processing of permits by the State and EPA, for facilities or activities which require permits from both EPA and the State under different programs. See § 124.4.

(6) Provisions for modification of the Memorandum of Agreement in accordance with this part.

(c) The Memorandum of Agreement, the annual program and grant and the State/EPA Agreement should be consistent. If the State/EPA Agreement indicates that a change is needed in the Memorandum of Agreement, the Memorandum of Agreement may be amended through the procedures set forth in this part. The State/EPA Agreement may not override the Memorandum of Agreement.

Note:

Detailed program priorities and specific arrangements for EPA support of the State program will change and are therefore more appropriately negotiated in the context of annual agreements rather than in the MOA. However, it may still be appropriate to specify in the MOA the basis for such detailed agreements, e.g., a provision in the MOA specifying that EPA will select facilities in the State for inspection annually as part of the State/EPA agreement.