(1) At the request of a project proponent, the department shall consider information developed through a certification program when making permit or other regulatory decisions. The department may not require duplicative demonstration of such information, but may require additional information as necessary to assure that state requirements are met. A local government that has a regulatory authority delegated by the department may use information developed through a certification program when making permit or other regulatory decisions.

     (2) The department shall develop a certification program for technologies for remediation of radioactive and mixed waste, as those terms are defined in chapter 70.105 RCW, if all program development and operational costs are paid by the federal government or persons seeking certification of the technologies.

     (3) Following the development of the certification program in subsection (2) of this section, the department may use the policies and procedures of that program on a pilot basis to evaluate the use of certification for site remediation technologies and other environmental technologies, if the operational costs of the certification are paid by the federal government or persons seeking certification of such technologies.

     (4) The department shall charge a reasonable fee to recover the operational costs of certifying a technology.

     (5) Subsections (1), (3), and (4) of this section apply to permit and other regulatory decisions made under the following: Chapters 70.94, 70.95, 70.105, 70.105D, 70.120, 70.138, 90.48, 90.54, and 90.56 RCW.

     (6) For the purposes of this section, "certification program" means a program, developed or approved by the department, to certify the quantitative performance of an environmental technology over a specified range of parameters and conditions. Certification of a technology does not imply endorsement of a specific technology by the department, or a guarantee of the performance of a technology.

     (7) The department may adopt rules as necessary to implement the requirements of subsections (2) and (3) of this section, and establish requirements and procedures for evaluation and certification of environmental technologies.

     (8) The state, the department, and officers and employees of the state shall not be liable for damages resulting from the utilization of information developed through a certification program, or from a decision to certify or deny certification to an environmental technology. Actions of the department under this section are not decisions reviewable under RCW 43.21B.110.

[1997 c 419 § 2.]