§22-17-6. Promulgation of rules and standards by director.

(a) The director has overall responsibility for the promulgation of rules under this article. In promulgating and revising such rules the director shall comply with the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. Such rules shall be no more stringent than the rules and regulations promulgated by the United States environmental protection agency pursuant to Subtitle I.

(b) The director shall promulgate rules applicable to owners or operators of underground storage tanks or other affected persons, as appropriate, as follows:

(1) A requirement for a yearly registration fee for underground storage tanks;

(2) A requirement that an owner or operator register with the director each underground storage tank after the effective date of the rules and that an owner or operator report annually on changes in status of any underground storage tank;

(3) Such release detection, prevention and correction rules applicable to underground storage tanks as may be necessary to protect human health and the environment;

(4) Requirements for maintaining a leak detection system, inventory control systems together with tank testing, or a comparable system or method designed to identify releases from underground storage tanks in a manner consistent with the protection of human health and the environment;

(5) Requirements for maintaining records of any monitoring or leak detection system or inventory control system or tank testing system;

(6) Rules for procedures and amount of fees to be assessed for the underground storage tank administrative fund, the leaking underground storage tank response fund and the underground storage tank insurance fund established pursuant to this article, which shall include a capitalization fee to be assessed against all owners or operators of underground tanks to be used for initial establishment of the underground storage tank insurance fund;

(7) Procedures for making expenditures from the underground storage tank administrative fund, the leaking underground storage tank response fund and the underground storage tank insurance fund;

(8) Acceptable methods by which an owner or operator may demonstrate financial responsibility;

(9) Requirements for reporting of releases and corrective action taken in response to a release;

(10) Requirements for taking corrective action in response to a release from an underground storage tank;

(11) Requirements for the closure of tanks to prevent future releases of regulated substances to the environment;

(12) Requirements for certification of installation, removal, retrofit, testing and inspection of underground storage tanks and leak detection systems by a registered professional engineer or other qualified person;

(13) Requirements for public participation in the enforcement of the state underground storage tank program;

(14) Procedures establishing when and how the director determines if information obtained by any agency under this article is confidential;

(15) Standards of performance for new underground storage tanks;

(16) Procedures for the review, acceptance, settlement and payment of claims under policies issued by the director pursuant to subsection (c) of section five of this article; or

(17) Any other rules or standards necessary and appropriate for the effective implementation and administration of this article.