The responsibilities of the department include the following:

(1) The department may adopt procedures for granting variances and is empowered to grant such variances.

(2) The department, acting through the commission, may promulgate, and may revise when appropriate, rules and regulations and may enter into agreements to ensure that information obtained by the department regarding facilities and sites for the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste is available to the public in substantially the same manner, and to the same degree, as would be the case under the Federal Hazardous Waste Management Program administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under authority of the RCRA and shall establish procedures to ensure that trade secrets used by any person regarding methods of hazardous wastes handling and disposal are utilized by the department, or any authorized representative of the department, only in connection with the responsibilities of the department pursuant to this chapter, and that such trade secrets are not otherwise disseminated by the department or any authorized representative of the department without the express written consent of the affected person.

(3) The department shall take all appropriate measures to monitor and enforce rules and regulations pertaining to hazardous waste generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal.

(4) The department shall maintain records and, through a system of record keeping, tabulate the volume, nature and location of hazardous wastes generated, transported, treated, stored or disposed of within the state.

(5) The department is authorized to seek and to receive federal funds, grants and services applicable for Hazardous Wastes Management Programs.

(6) The department shall establish procedures for the evaluation and coordination of research and development regarding methods of hazardous waste transportation, storage, treatment and disposal, and may enter into contracts in order to conduct appropriate studies relating to hazardous wastes.

(7) The department shall promulgate regulations for the transportation of hazardous wastes that are consistent with the requirements of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. §1802 et seq., and the regulations promulgated thereunder.