(a) Requirement.
(1) An environmental impact statement (EIS) shall be submitted to the county for every facility which shall be placed in the county after the effective date of the ordinance from which this article is derived.
(2) The EIS shall be submitted to the county by the person who will be designated as the operator of the facility or any state agency responsible for the siting of a facility.
(b) When required.
(1) When the operator of a hazardous waste facility is a private person and the facility cannot otherwise be considered a facility operated by a governmental unit, the environmental impact statement shall be submitted to the county no later than 90 days after the date of the submittal by the operator of any permits regarding the subject facility to the state department of environment, health and natural resources.
(2) Any facility which shall be operated by a governmental unit or whose construction is mandated by state, local or federal law or regional agreement, shall be due within 90 days after initial selection of the site.
(3) With regard to a facility, or component of a facility, which is being sited pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 130B-11, the EIS shall be required no later than 90 days after the selection of any site within the county as a suitable site as defined by G.S. 130B-11. An EIS must be submitted prior to the selection of any site in the county as a preferred site, as defined by G.S. 130B-11.
(c) Review.
(1) The county shall review the EIS for completeness within five working days of submittal. If the statement is found to be incomplete, it will be returned to the applicant with notification of its deficiencies.
(2) Upon acceptance by the county, the environmental impact statement shall be distributed to all appropriate departments and agencies of the county for review and comment. A notice shall be placed in a newspaper of general circulation stating that the EIS will be available for public review at the commanding department for a period of at least 15 days.
(3) Upon completeness of the advertised 15-day review period and upon receipt of comments from all applicable state and federal parties, all comments will be compiled and summarized by the planning staff.
(4) The EIS along with all comments received during the review period shall be presented for public hearing. The hearing shall take place no later than 30 days after the close of the public review period or upon receipt of comments, whichever is later.
(5) The board of commissioners shall receive the EIS and all comments as information only. No action shall be taken regarding the EIS until after it has been presented to the board of commissioners.
(Ord. of 12-3-1990, § 4)