Hawaii § 128D-12 - Confidentiality of information.

§ 128D-12. Confidentiality of information.

(a) Any record, report, or information obtained from any persons under section 128D-4(a) and (b) shall be available to the public, except as provided in subsection (b). (b) Upon a showing satisfactory to the department that public disclosure of records, reports, or information, or a particular part thereof, obtained by the department, its personnel or contractors pursuant to this chapter, would divulge commercial or financial information entitled to protection under state or federal law, the department shall consider such information to be confidential and not a public record open to disclosure. (c) No records, reports, or information for which confidentiality is claimed by the person from whom they are obtained shall be disclosed until such person has received reasonable notice under the procedures set forth in 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 2, section 2.201 et seq. and has had the opportunity to demonstrate why these should not be disclosed, including a reasonable opportunity to obtain judicial relief. In any such proceeding, confidentiality shall be accorded to any documents which satisfy the criteria set forth in 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 2 or any rules adopted by the department. (d) No confidential information, obtained pursuant to this chapter by any official or employee of the department within the scope and cause of this official's or employee's employment in the prevention, control, or cleanup of releases of hazardous substances or pollutants or contaminants into the environment, shall be disclosed by the official or employee with the following exception: the document or information may be disclosed to officers, employees, or authorized representatives of the State or of the United States, including local government entities, who have been charged with carrying out this chapter, including a cost recovery or an enforcement action, or to comply with any state law, CERCLA, or the Clean Water Act, or when relevant in any proceeding under this chapter. Persons receiving information pursuant to this subsection shall maintain the confidentiality of the information which is provided in this section to the maximum extent allowed by law. [L 1990, c 298, pt of §17; am L 1991, c 280, §13] Previous Vol03_Ch0121-0200D Next