§ 123.23 Attorney General's statement.

(a) Any State that seeks to administer a program under this part shall submit a statement from the State Attorney General (or the attorney for those State or interstate agencies which have independent legal counsel) that the laws of the State, or an interstate compact, provide adequate authority to carry out the program described under § 123.22 and to meet the requirements of this part. This statement shall include citations to the specific statutes, administrative regulations, and, where appropriate, judicial decisions which demonstrate adequate authority. State statutes and regulations cited by the State Attorney General or independent legal counsel shall be in the form of lawfully adopted State statutes and regulations at the time the statement is signed and shall be fully effective by the time the program is approved. To qualify as “independent legal counsel” the attorney signing the statement required by this section must have full authority to independently represent the State agency in court on all matters pertaining to the State program. EPA will supply States with an Attorney General's statement format on request. (b) If a State (which is not an Indian Tribe) seeks authority over activities on Indian lands, the statement shall contain an appropriate analysis of the State's authority. (c) The Attorney General's statement shall certify that the State has adequate legal authority to issue and enforce general permits if the State seeks to implement the general permit program under § 122.28.