Permit, construction or modification of facility; duties of secretary

(a) After the effective date of this act, no person shall modify or construct an off-site hazardous waste facility without a permit issued by the secretary under this act. (b) Upon receipt of an application for a permit to construct an off-site hazardous waste facility which complies with the requirements of this section, the secretary shall: (1) Publish a notice once per week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper having major circulation in the county in which the facility is proposed to be located. The required published notice shall contain a map indicating the location of the proposed facility and shall contain a description of the proposed action and the location where the permit application and related documents may be reviewed and where copies may be obtained. The notice shall describe the procedure by which the permit may be granted. The secretary shall transmit a copy of the notice to the clerk of any city which is located within three miles of the proposed facility. (2) Review the plans of the proposed facility to determine if the proposed operation complies with this act and the rules and regulations promulgated under this act. The review shall include but not be limited to air quality, water quality, waste management and hydrogeology. If the facility review, the plan review and the application meet the requirements of this act and the rules and regulations promulgated under this act, the secretary shall approve construction or modification of the facility which approval may contain conditions specifically applicable to the facility and operation. An expansion, enlargement or modification of a facility beyond the specified areas indicated in the existing permit constitutes a new proposal for which a new construction permit application is required. (c) The secretary shall approve or deny a construction permit application within 240 days after the secretary receives an application meeting the requirements of this section except such time period shall not apply to an application for a license to be issued under the authority of K.S.A. 48-1607, and amendments thereto. If the secretary approves an application, the secretary immediately shall notify the applicant. If the secretary denies an application, the secretary shall notify the applicant in writing of the reasons for the denial. No local ordinance, permit or other requirements may prohibit the construction or modification of such a facility or restrict transportation to the facility.