ADEQ 2022 Legislative Summary
This summary highlights 2022 bills and budget items that most impact ADEQ, our customers and the larger stakeholder community. This session was extremely productive, and changes enacted will help accelerate protection of public health and the environment while we strive to provide continued technical and operational excellence and radical simplicity for customers and staff.
Important ADEQ and Stakeholder Bills
HB 2053: Department of Environmental Quality; Continuation | View >
- Extends ADEQ’s sunset date by eight years per Committee of Reference recommendation.
HB 2126: Hazardous Waste (HW) Program Fees | View >
- Repeals provisions that prohibit increased fees in rule for various HW facilities and activities.
- Rules will be promulgated in FY23; associated increased fees will become effective in FY23.
HB 2406: Water Quality Fee Fund (WQFF) | View >
- Clarifies the allowable uses of the WQFF, repeals provisions that prohibit the agency from increasing fees in rule for the Aquifer Protection Permit (APP) and Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (AZPDES) programs.
- Increased fees are necessary to provide resources to remedy audit findings related to groundwater protection and surface water quality.
- Rules will be promulgated in FY23; associated fee increases will become effective in FY24.
HB 2411: Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Program | View >
- Authorizes ADEQ to obtain primacy from EPA to administer the CCR program, including enforcement and fee authority.
HB 2410: Environmental Programs; amendments (Omnibus) | View >
- 10 statutory amendments that are deregulatory, technical corrections, or provide clarity are contained in this bill.
- Highlights include:
- Repeals duplicative regulation of drywells under the federal Underground Injection Control and the state Drywell Program.
- Repeals duplicative Dust Free Developments Program.
- Repeals outdated Drug Lab Cleanup authority.
- Makes discretionary development of off-road vehicle standards, because federal standards are already mandatory.
SB 1067: WIFA; cities | View >
- Streamlines access to federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act monies for cities, towns, counties, and domestic water or wastewater improvement districts regardless of population, and for sanitary districts containing a population of fewer than 50,000 by allowing them to enter into financial assistance loan repayment agreements without submitting the question to voters.
Budget Highlights
- $1.5M for Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) program development
- $6.4M to remedy groundwater and surface water quality audit findings and new program development
- Ongoing $15M for WQARF
- $395,500 appropriation increase to offset the cost to fire departments to replace PFAS containing firefighting foam
- $743,000 Solid Waste appropriation increase to implement program improvements including CCR program development