Alabama § 22-32-5 - Radiation Safety Fund; Licensing and Inspection Fees; Bond of Contractor-Leasor; Perpetual Care Fund; Operating Fund; Compact Commission Fund; Royalty Fees; Appropriation.

§ 22-32-5. Radiation Safety Fund; Licensing and Inspection Fees; Bond of Contractor-Leasor; Perpetual Care Fund; Operating Fund; Compact Commission Fund; Royalty Fees; Appropriation.

(a) There is hereby created a Radiation Safety Fund into which the State Treasurer shall deposit the licensing, application, and inspection fee of the Radiation Control Agency. The Radiation Control Agency is authorized to collect for deposit into the Radiation Safety Fund application, licensing and inspection fees equal to 75 percent of those fees charged by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for issuing similar licenses. This authority applies only to the specific licenses issued by the Radiation Control Agency. The funds available in the Radiation Safety Fund are appropriated to the State Health Department for the purpose of Title 22, Chapter 14. The moneys in this fund may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next provided that any unencumbered funds in excess of $100,000.00 on September 30 of each year shall revert to the State of Alabama General Fund.

(b) The Alabama Department of Energy is authorized to collect fees which cover at least the costs listed in Section 22-32-4(a). The revenue generated from these funds shall be disbursed by the Alabama Department of Energy in a Perpetual Care Fund, an Operating Fund, a Compact Commission Fund and for royalty fees as described herein. The proportion of the fee required for the first year of operation costs and/or the perpetual care fund costs shall be based on projections obtained from existing facilities. Charges in the following years will be based on costs for previous years of in-state operation. In the event that the Alabama Department of Energy contracts or leases the disposal site operations, the contractor-leasor shall pay such fees by the fifteenth of the following month. Further, the contractor-leasor shall post with the Alabama Department of Energy a surety bond of $200,000.00 to assure proper accounting of these funds.

(1) A percentage shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Perpetual Care Fund, the interest of which shall be used by the Alabama Department of Energy to pay the costs of monitoring and maintaining sites for at least 100 years after closure. The amount of this cost shall be based on projections from existing facilities such as the Barnwell, South Carolina facility. The State Treasurer shall deposit or invest these funds in banks, U.S. treasury bills or other equivalent, the interest from such investments to be reinvested in this account. Upon certification by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House, of need related to low-level radioactive waste disposal, portions of the principal may be expended as necessary to protect the public health and safety.

(2) A percentage shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Operating Fund, to be used by the Alabama Department of Energy in assuring safe operation of any disposal site, including administration of sites operated by contractors or leasors. The amount of this cost in the first year shall be based on projections from currently operating facilities. In the future years the charges will be based on costs for actual instate operation in past years. The moneys in this fund may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next provided that all unencumbered funds in excess of $300,000.00 on September 30 of each year shall revert to the State of Alabama General Fund. In the event of determination by the Governor of the existence of need of a low-level radioactive waste site in Alabama, the Alabama Legislature may appropriate funds to the Alabama Department of Energy which may be necessary for site selection, purchase and development.

(3) A percentage shall be deposited with the State Treasurer in the Southeast Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Commission Fund. This fund shall be used by the Alabama Department of Energy to pay Alabama’s proportionate share of the annual budget of the commission as provided in Section 22-32-1, Article IV, h.2 and 3. The moneys in this fund may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next provided that any unencumbered funds in excess of $50,000.00 on September 30 of each year shall revert to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Operating Fund.

(4) Royalty fees shall be collected by the Alabama Department of Energy on each cubic foot of waste handled at the state sites. Ten cents per cubic foot shall be paid into the State of Alabama General Fund and up to five cents per cubic foot shall be paid to the county in which the site is located.

(c) There is hereby appropriated from the General Fund $25,000.00 to the Southeast Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Commission upon confirmation that Alabama is a party state as defined in the compact.