HB2470 Summary

• Requires state and county agencies to maintain environmental protection rules at least as stringent as federal standards in effect on January 1, 2016, or January 1, 2017, whichever is more stringent, across multiple environmental areas including water supplies, air quality, solid waste, hazardous waste, and drinking water.

• Allows state and county agencies to establish rules more stringent than baseline federal standards, but prohibits them from making rules less stringent than those standards except as authorized by state law.

• Applies "baseline federal standards" definition to environmental protection (Chapter 321), solid waste (Chapters 340A and 342H), air quality (Chapter 342B), water quality (Chapter 342D), hazardous waste (Chapter 342J), underground storage tanks (Chapter 342L), and asbestos/lead hazards (Chapter 342P).

• Amends drinking water regulations (Section 340E-2) to require the director maintain drinking water standards at least as stringent as federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements and explicitly allows adoption of standards more stringent than baseline federal standards.

• Takes effect July 1, 2020.