How SB 327 changes current law

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes a new requirement for North Carolina fire departments to report their use and inventory of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), including the creation of an online portal for such reporting.

• Chapter 58

  Article 82B. Management of Aqueous Film-Forming Foams. § 58-82B-1. Findings. § 58-82B-5. Reporting requirement. § 58-82B-10. Duties of Office of the State Fire Marshal. § 58-82B-15. Report.

  This addition creates a new article dedicated to the management and reporting of AFFF usage by fire departments.

• § 58-82B-5

  Fire departments operated, regulated, or managed by one or more units of State and local government, including those located at or serving public airports, in partnership with the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM), shall, no later than July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, do all of the following: (1) Provide an inventory of all AFFF at each department. (2) Identify all AFFF no longer utilized at each department that should be properly disposed of. (3) Report annually in summary form and within 15 days individually every incident where AFFF were deployed.

  This mandates annual reporting by fire departments on AFFF inventory and usage incidents.

• § 58-82B-10

  The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) shall do all of the following: (1) Educate and inform every fire department it regulates of the reporting requirements imposed by this Article. (2) Assist the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the development of an online reporting portal for fire departments operated, regulated, or managed by one or more units of State and local government, including those located at or serving public airports, with the requirements of this act. (3) Adopt rules to implement the requirements of this Article.

  This assigns specific duties to the OSFM regarding education, assistance, and rulemaking for AFFF reporting.

• § 58-82B-15

  The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) shall report annually to the Environmental Review Commission no later than September 1 of each year on the utilization and inventory of AFFF by fire departments across the State during the previous fiscal year based on the reporting requirements of this Article.

  This establishes a requirement for OSFM to report on AFFF usage to the Environmental Review Commission.

• Section 3

  The sum of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2021-2022 fiscal year is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina, to be allocated to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the activities of the Collaboratory described in Section 2 of this act.

  This appropriates funds to support the establishment of the online reporting portal for AFFF.