(a) Applicability. This section applies to potential permit owners or operators who desire to enter into agreements with affected persons and/or identify issues of local concern prior to submission of an application. A pre-application review process may be useful in situations where opposition to an application is likely to exist.
(b) Purpose. A pre-application review should serve to identify issues of concern, facilitate communication between a potential owner or operator and persons that would be affected by an application, and resolve as many points of conflict as possible prior to the submission of an application. A local review committee shall:
  (1) interact with the owner or operator in a structured manner during the pre-application review stage of the permitting process and, if necessary, during the technical review stage of the permitting process, raise and attempt to resolve both technical and nontechnical issues of concern; and
  (2) produce a fact-finding report documenting resolved and unresolved issues and unanswered questions. The owner or operator shall submit this report to the executive director with the owner's or operator's permit application.
(c) Procedure.
  (1) If an owner or operator decides to participate in a local review committee process, the owner or operator shall file three copies of a notice of intent to file an application with the executive director. The filing of this notice initiates the pre-application review process. The date of filing shall be the date the notice is stamped as received by the executive director. An owner or operator who wishes to have a pre-application meeting under the provisions of Texas Health and Safety Code, §361.0635, should include a draft Part I, as described in §330.59 of this title (relating to Contents of Part I of the Application) with their request.
  (2) Upon receipt of the notice of intent to file, the executive director shall forward a copy of the notice and an explanation of the local review committee process by certified mail to:
    (A) the appropriate mayor and county judge if the proposed facility is to be located within the corporate limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction of a city; or
    (B) the appropriate county judge if the proposed facility is to be located within an unincorporated area of the county; and
    (C) the appropriate regional solid waste planning agency and council of governments (COG).
  (3) Local review committees shall be composed of representatives of both local and regional interests and shall consist optimally of 12 individuals. However, an owner or operator may request a larger committee to better represent all interest groups present in a community or a smaller committee for economic reasons; however, committees shall maintain a 2:1 ratio of regional appointments to local appointments. Appointments to the local review committee shall be made according to the following guidelines.
    (A) If a proposed facility is to be located within a particular city's limits, the mayor of the city shall be asked to make all local appointments.
    (B) If a proposed facility is to be located in an unincorporated area, but within five miles of a city or cities, the mayor of each affected city shall be asked to appoint one member. The appropriate county judge shall be asked to appoint at least one member who lives within five miles of the proposed facility, if available and qualified. The county judge shall also be asked to appoint any remaining individuals necessary to complete local appointments to the committee.
    (C) If a proposed facility would not be within five miles of a city, the appropriate county judge shall appoint at least one member, if available and qualified, who lives within five miles of the proposed facility and as many other individuals from the county as are necessary to complete the local appointments.
    (D) Regional appointments shall be made by the appropriate regional solid waste planning agency/COG or another regional entity such as a special district or river authority designated by the COG. An attempt shall be made to make regional appointments from as many of the following interest groups as possible:
      (i) organized environmental groups;
      (ii) citizen organizations active in environmental issues;
      (iii) industry, preferably, but not necessarily, individuals with expertise in waste management;
      (iv) academic community, preferably, but not necessarily, individuals trained in a technical discipline related to waste management and/or public involvement;
      (v) community or land-use planning;
      (vi) organized public-interest advocates; and
      (vii) public health professionals.
    (E) If any local official or regional entity has failed to make the necessary appointments within 15 days after the notice of intent to file has been submitted, the owner or operator may cease the local review process.
    (F) Every effort should be made to appoint individuals who are willing to participate in good faith, able to devote adequate time to participation, and respected in the community or region. An elected official shall not be appointed to the committee if the official is elected by a constituency wholly or partly within the localities surrounding the facility, and appointees shall not be employees or agents of the owner or operator.
    (G) An individual shall not serve on more than one local review committee at any one time.
  (4) The local review committee shall meet within 21 days after the notice of intent is filed. The executive director will provide manuals to committee members that will orient them as to what the committee's activities should be, i.e., the production of a report detailing issues resolved, issues unresolved, and questions not able to be answered.
  (5) The pre-application review process shall continue for a maximum of 90 days unless it is shortened or lengthened by mutual agreement between the owner or operator and the local review committee.
  (6) Individuals who serve on local review committees shall serve without compensation. The potential owner or operator shall provide resource support that may include clerical and technical assistance, a facilitator, meeting space, and/or other items that may be necessary to aid the committee in its work.
(d) Committee report.
  (1) Any report produced by a local review committee set up under this section shall be submitted to the executive director with the owner's or operator's permit application. The executive director may consider the report as an additional source of information concerning the application.
  (2) The report shall not recommend approval or disapproval of the proposed facility. Rather, it shall describe the committee's work and summarize the committee's findings. The findings shall include issues resolved, issues unresolved, and questions not able to be answered.

Source Note: The provisions of this §330.53 adopted to be effective March 27, 2006, 31 TexReg 2502