Community Public Wastewater System Infrastructure Sustainability Act; create.
What changed between versions
The definition of 'Community Public Wastewater System' now explicitly includes systems that are 'whether publicly or privately owned,' expanding the bill's coverage to private wastewater systems.
A new Section 29 was added stating that the letter grades and scores under this act shall not affect a project's ranking under the department's Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Fund Program (Section 49-17-85), and that the accountability framework is separate and independent of that program's criteria.
A new definition for 'Commission' (meaning the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality) was added to Section 2, supporting the shift in rulemaking authority.
The minimum criteria for the wastewater system letter grade schedule were reduced from six factors (permit compliance, water quality standards, financial sustainability, O&M performance history, infrastructure condition, and customer satisfaction) to three (permit compliance, O&M performance history, and infrastructure condition). Water quality standards, financial sustainability, and customer satisfaction are no longer listed as minimum criteria.
In Section 22 (drinking water section), the language for point values was narrowed from 'each standard set forth in this section and other assessed criteria as determined by the board' to 'the criteria established in accordance with this section,' removing the board's discretion to add additional assessed criteria beyond those specified.
Rulemaking authority for the wastewater letter grade schedule was shifted from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality ('the department') to the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality ('the commission'). The same shift applies to the regulation governing how systems notify customers of their grades.
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