Environmental Quality Amendments

The House Sponsor's name was changed from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Bridger Bolinder'.

Added a coordination clause stating that if H.B. 249 also passes, specific tax revenue deposits will be redirected to the Electrical Energy Development Investment Fund.

The effective date for the radioactive waste facility expansion tax and related definitions was changed from May 7, 2025, to July 1, 2025.

The effective date for the radioactive waste license and registration sections was changed from July 1, 2025, to May 7, 2025.

The definition of 'Radioactive waste facility application' was slightly clarified to explicitly include requests to expand the geographic site of an existing facility.

The tax provision was amended to state that the tax does not limit the director's ability to approve applications exceeding the maximum volume, removing a potential ambiguity.

Added new definitions for 'high-level nuclear waste' and 'uncontainerized, unprocessed class A waste' to clarify what materials are regulated.

Modified licensing requirements to require legislative and gubernatorial approval for new facilities or expansions that increase capacity by 50% or more.

Created a new radioactive waste facility expansion tax of $3.45 per cubic yard (up to 8.7 million cubic yards) payable within 60 days of submitting an expansion application.

Modified tax revenue deposit requirements to route certain radioactive waste tax revenue to the Utah Energy Research Fund rather than the Uniform School Fund.

Implemented a sunset date of July 1, 2026 for the new expansion tax, with the tax applying to applications submitted on or before December 31, 2025.

Added coordination clause to align with H.B. 249 regarding nuclear power amendments, specifying how tax revenue should be deposited into the Electrical Energy Development Investment Fund if both bills pass.

Added new definitions for 'Broker' (persons who arrange transportation or consolidate radioactive waste shipments) and 'Hazardous waste corridor' (areas designated for radioactive waste facility siting).

Modified definitions of radioactive waste categories, particularly clarifying what constitutes 'Class A low-level radioactive waste' and what is excluded from that classification.

Created a new radioactive waste facility expansion tax of $3.45 per cubic yard of new disposal volume, with revenue deposited into the Utah Energy Research Fund.

Added a new tax provision for radioactive waste facilities receiving waste from new generators (first shipments between June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2028) at 16.67% of gross receipts.

Modified licensing requirements to include additional scrutiny for applications requesting higher radionuclide concentration limits or significant capacity increases.

Established a sunset date of July 1, 2026 for the radioactive waste facility expansion tax.

Made technical and conforming changes to align definitions and provisions across multiple Utah Code sections related to radioactive waste management.