S.B. No. 333 - Environmental Protection Law Revisions

• Restructures the Ohio Lake Erie Commission to include five additional gubernatorial appointees (beyond agency directors) serving staggered three-year terms, with Senate confirmation required and members limited to two total terms.

• Creates new licensing and regulatory framework for construction and demolition debris processing facilities, including permit requirements, financial assurance standards (minimum $13,000 per acre), and operator certification with continuing education requirements.

• Establishes water quality professional certification program allowing the director to certify professionals to assess streams and categorize wetlands in support of section 401 water quality certification and isolated wetland permit applications.

• Modifies water quality certification procedures including expedited 90-day issuance timeline when certified water quality professionals conduct assessments without requiring public hearings, and implements federal mitigation hierarchy standards (33 C.F.R. 332.3).

• Adds provisions for beneficial use of dredged material from federal navigation channels and requires publicly owned treatment works with design flows over one million gallons per day to monitor phosphorus by December 1, 2016, and evaluate technical feasibility of reducing phosphorus discharge to one milligram per liter by December 1, 2017.