Idaho § 39-104A - Authority to make rules regulating large swine feeding operations - Financial assurances

§ 39-104A. Authority to make rules regulating large swine feeding operations - Financial assurances

(1) The state of Idaho is experiencing the development of large swine feeding operations which are inadequately controlled through existing state regulatory mechanisms. If not properly regulated, these facilities pose a threat to the state’s surface and ground water resources. Due to existing rulemaking authority, the department of environmental quality is in the best position of all state agencies to modify its present rules and to make new rules to develop an adequate regulatory framework for large swine feeding operations.

(2) The department of environmental quality is authorized to modify its existing administrative rules and to make new rules regulating large swine feeding operations, as they shall be defined by the department. The department is authorized to work with the Idaho department of agriculture in the development of such rules.

(3) Owners and operators of swine facilities required to obtain a permit from the department of environmental quality to construct, operate, expand or close the facilities shall provide financial assurances demonstrating financial capability to meet requirements for operation and closure of the facilities and remediation. Requirements for financial assurances shall be determined by the agency as set forth in rule. Financial assurances may include any mechanism or combination of mechanisms meeting the requirements established by agency rule including, but not limited to, surety bonds, trust funds, irrevocable letters of credit, insurance and corporate guarantees. The mechanism(s) used to demonstrate financial capability must be legally valid, binding and enforceable under applicable law and must ensure that the funds necessary to meet the costs of closure and remediation will be available whenever the funds are needed. The director may retain financial assurances for up to five (5) years after closure of a facility to ensure proper closure and remediation, as defined by rule.

(4) Those swine facilities described in section 39-7905 , Idaho Code, shall meet the requirements of section 39-7907 , Idaho Code, in addition to the requirements of this chapter and the department of environmental quality’s rules regulating swine facilities, prior to the issuance of a final permit by the director. The director shall require that swine facilities be constructed in a phased manner over a period of time and that no additional facilities be constructed until the director approves the associated waste treatment system.

(5) Nothing in this section prohibits the boards of county commissioners of any county or the governing body of any city from adopting regulations that are more stringent or that require greater financial assurances than those imposed by the department of environmental quality. A board of county commissioners of a county or a governing body of a city in which a swine facility is located may choose to determine whether the facility is properly closed according to imposed standards or may leave that determination to the department. This choice shall be communicated to the director in writing when closure begins; provided that determinations of closure by a board of county commissioners of a county or a governing body of a city in which the swine facility is located shall not permit closure under less stringent requirements than those imposed by the department.

(6) As used in this section:

(a) "Animal unit" means a unit equaling two and one-half (2.5) swine, each weighing over twenty-five (25) kilograms (approximately fifty-five (55) pounds), or ten (10) weaned swine, each weighing under twenty-five (25) kilograms. Total animal units are calculated by adding the number of swine weighing over twenty-five (25) kilograms multiplied by four-tenths (.4) plus the number of weaned swine weighing under twenty-five (25) kilograms multiplied by one-tenth (.1).

(b) "Facilities" or "facility" means a place, site or location or part thereof where swine are kept, handled, housed or otherwise maintained and includes, but is not limited to, buildings, lots, pens and animal waste management systems, and which has a one-time animal unit capacity of two thousand (2,000) or more animal units.

(c) "Large swine feeding operations" means swine facilities having a one-time animal unit capacity of two thousand (2,000) or more animal units.

(d) "One-time animal unit capacity" means the maximum number of animal units that a facility is capable of housing at any given time.

[39-104A, added 1999, ch. 263, sec. 1, p. 669; am. 2000, ch. 132, sec. 7, p. 319; am. 2000, ch. 221, sec. 1, p. 614; am. 2001, ch. 103, sec. 14, p. 265; am. 2001, ch. 350, sec. 1, p. 1229; am. 2011, ch. 227, sec. 3, p. 621.]