(A)

1. (1) If the director of environmental protection has reason to believe that hazardous waste was treated, stored, or disposed of at any facility or property located within the state or that solid waste or construction and demolition debris was disposed of at any facility or property in the state, the director may conduct such investigations and make such inquiries as are reasonable or necessary to determine if conditions at the facility or property:

   1. (a) Constitute a substantial threat to public health or safety; or
   2. (b) Are causing or contributing to or threatening to cause or contribute to air or water pollution or soil contamination. The director may obtain samples and examine and copy records for purposes of an investigation.
2. (2) The director or the director's authorized representative may apply for, and any judge of a court of common pleas shall issue, an appropriate search warrant necessary to achieve the purposes of this section within the court's territorial jurisdiction.
3. (3) The director may expend money from the hazardous waste facility management fund created in section 3734.18 of the Revised Code, the hazardous waste clean-up fund created in section 3734.28 of the Revised Code, or the environmental protection remediation fund created in section 3734.281 of the Revised Code for conducting investigations at any facility or property where the director has reason to believe that hazardous waste was treated, stored, or disposed of. The director may expend money from the environmental protection remediation fund established in section 3734.281 of the Revised Code for conducting investigations at any facility or property where the director has reason to believe that solid waste or construction and demolition debris was disposed of.