(a) The Department shall collect an annual fee from sources that are required to obtain a Title V Operating Permit pursuant to the Title V Program and from sources who voluntarily limit their potential to emit to below Title V applicability thresholds as set forth in § 6095 of this title (i.e., a synthetic minor facility). The annual fees shall be utilized solely to pay for all direct and indirect costs required to develop, administer and implement the Program.

(b) The fee schedule must result in the collection and retention of revenues sufficient to cover the permit program costs. These costs include, but are not limited to, the costs of the following activities, as they relate to the operating permit program for stationary sources:

(c) The Department shall collect annual fees, payable annually or in quarterly installments, during calendar years 2018, 2019, and 2020, from each source that is required to pay the annual fee as set forth in subsection (a) of this section. The annual fee for each subject source will be determined by the sum of 2 component fees:

(d) (1) The base fee relates to services that are common to all sources subject to the program. These services include activities such as permit issuance and renewals; stationary source regulation development; ambient monitoring; emission inventory; control strategy development; and development, administration, and implementation of 2 additional programs:

(2) In calendar years 2018, 2019, and 2020, the Department will place each subject source into 1 of the following 10 categories:

(3) The Department’s category determination pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section shall be based upon 5 years’ data of engineering, compliance, and enforcement hours expended for each facility from 2012 to 2016. The Department will continue to track the actual hours spent processing Title V permits and performing other related services under the Title V program. This information may be used in the evaluations of the Title V program associated with the expiration of this statute on December 31, 2020.

(e) (1) The user fee relates to activities not identified in subsection (d) of this section for the Program, such as:

(2) In calendar years 2018, 2019, and 2020, the Department will place each subject source into 1 of the following 9 categories:

(f) The Department shall assess a base fee that is consistent with the categories and amounts specified in subsection (d) of this section for any source that becomes subject to the Program after December 31, 2017. The estimated hours on which the base fee assessment is calculated shall include an evaluation of specific regulatory applicability to the source. This shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(g) (1) In calendar years 2018, 2019, and 2020, the Department will grant sources with an active Title V or synthetic minor permit on or before December 31, 2017, and without delinquent accounts, annual user fee credits. The credit shall be determined by the categorical status of a qualifying facility in calendar year 2017. User fee credits for 2018, 2019, and 2020 will be calculated as a percentage of the total Program annual fee reduction amount of $385,000. Eligible facilities will be granted the following fee credit percentages by category established under paragraph (e)(2) of this section:

(2) The fee reduction credit will be terminated on December 31, 2020.

(h) These fees may be increased on an annual basis by no more than the Federal Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year. Any increases in fees are subject to review and approval by the committee established pursuant to § 6099 of this title. After December 31, 2020, no fees shall be collected pursuant to this section unless authorized by a further act of the General Assembly. The Department shall consult with the Title V Operating Permit Program Advisory Committee prior to any proposed increase to the complement of full-time equivalent employees funded in whole or in part by the Program.

(i) Annual fees must be paid in full by the end of each calendar year 2018, 2019, and 2020. Any delinquent subject source shall be subject to a 2% compounding monthly interest rate for each month overdue. Each source is required to pay its annual fee. The Department has the authority to revoke a Title V permit on the sole basis that the annual fee has not been paid. Sources that have not paid their annual fee may be given notice that their Title V permit will be revoked for nonpayment of the fee. No permit shall be revoked without 60 days written notice or prior to 3 months past the due date for the fee. Cancellation of the permit shall not relieve the source of the obligation to pay the last year’s fee. The Department shall track payment records of overdue and delinquent sources and shall document actions taken to recover delinquent fees. The Department shall include a detailed summary of delinquent facilities in the Title V Annual Status report, including the amount owed and the documented action taken by the Department to collect such fees.

(j) In determining the amount of tons of actual emissions, the Department shall not be required to include any amount of air contaminant emitted by any source in excess of 4,000 tons per year of that air contaminant. The determination of common control or common ownership shall be consistent with the requirements of 40 C.F.R. Part 70.

(k) Any funds collected under this section shall be deposited in the account as described in § 6096 of this title, shall be interest earning, and shall be used solely to develop, administer and implement the Program. The Secretary shall cause an audit of the fiscal affairs to be made annually and shall furnish a copy of such audit report together with such additional information or data with respect to the affairs as the Secretary may deem desirable to the Title V Operating Permit Program Advisory Committee.

(l) The Department will continue to track for each source the actual hours spent processing Title V permits and performing other related services under the Title V program and shall, as part of the annual fee assessment, provide each source with the number of said hours expended during the preceding year. The Division of Air Quality will develop, by May 1 of each year, the overall program costs, the fees collected, current staffing levels, program accomplishments, and each subject source’s total hours for the preceding calendar year in report form and present this report at an annual meeting with the Title V Operating Permit Program Advisory Committee. The Division of Air Quality shall publish a notice announcing the availability of the report in a paper of general circulation throughout the State. Additionally, the Division shall mail a copy of said notice to the personnel on the Division of Air Quality’s mailing lists.

(m) [Repealed.]

69 Del. Laws, c. 121, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 8, §§ 1, 2; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 72 Del. Laws, c. 214, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 318, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 381, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 172, §§ 1-5; 76 Del. Laws, c. 73, § 1; 76 Del. Laws, c. 312, § 1-7; 77 Del. Laws, c. 430, §§ 54, 55; 78 Del. Laws, c. 110, §§ 1-15; 79 Del. Laws, c. 430, § 1; 81 Del. Laws, c. 75, § 1.