HB248 - An Act To Amend Title 7 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Pre-permit Community Outreach In Underserved Communities.

12 Co-Sponsors

This House Substitute bill clarifies it is only for new or substantially modified permits and specifies it is only for the following permits: (1) Clean Air permit; (2) Coastal Zone Act permit; (3) Solid waste permit; (4) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and (5) Hazardous waste permit. As in the original bill the applicant is still required to go through a community outreach process for any qualified project, defined as a project within an underserved community or within 3 miles of an underserved community that meets the definition of a qualified project under DNRECs Regulations. Underserved community is defined as (1) A specified geographic area where the percentage at poverty level is greater than twice the State Average Median Household Income as determined by the most recent United States Census or (2) Any specified community in the most current community mapping tool on the Departments website. It is anticipated that DNREC will have an environmental justice area viewer, or similar tool, as a link on its website.