1. (a) Amendments generally. A change in a term, condition, or provision of a permit requires an amendment, except under §305.70 of this title (relating to Municipal Solid Waste Class I Modifications), under §305.69 of this title (relating to Solid Waste Permit Modification at the Request of the Permittee), under §305.66 of this title (relating to Corrections of Permits), and under §305.64 of this title (relating to Transfer of Permits). The permittee or an affected person may request an amendment. If the permittee requests an amendment, the application shall be processed under Chapter 281 of this title (relating to Applications Processing). If the permittee requests a modification of a solid waste permit, the application shall be processed under §305.69 of this title. If the permittee requests a modification of a municipal solid waste permit, the application shall be processed in accordance with §305.70 of this title. If an affected person requests an amendment, the request shall be submitted to the executive director for review. If the executive director determines the request is not justified, the executive director will respond within 60 days of submittal of the request, stating the reasons for that determination. The person requesting an amendment may petition the commission for a review of the request and the executive director's recommendation. If the executive director determines that an amendment is justified, the amendment will be processed under subsections (d) and (f) of this section.
2. (b) Application for amendment. An application for amendment shall include all requested changes to the permit. Information sufficient to review the application shall be submitted in the form and manner and under the procedures specified in Subchapter C of this chapter (relating to Application for Permit). The application shall include a statement describing the reason for the requested changes.

3. (c) Types of amendments.

   1. (1) A major amendment is an amendment that changes a substantive term, provision, requirement, or a limiting parameter of a permit. In case of a license issued under Chapter 336, Subchapter H of this title (relating to Licensing Requirements for Near-Surface Land Disposal of Low-Level Radioactive Waste), a major amendment is one which:

      1. (A) authorizes a change in the type or concentration limits of wastes to be received;
      2. (B) authorizes receipt of wastes from other states not authorized in the existing license;
      3. (C) authorizes a change in the operator of the facility;
      4. (D) authorizes closure and the final closure plan for the disposal site;
      5. (E) transfers the license to the custodial agency; or
      6. (F) authorizes a change which has a significant effect on the human environment and for which the executive director has prepared a written environmental analysis or has determined that an environmental analysis is required.

   2. (2) A minor amendment is an amendment to improve or maintain the permitted quality or method of disposal of waste, or injection of fluid if there is neither a significant increase of the quantity of waste or fluid to be discharged or injected nor a material change in the pattern or place of discharge of injection. A minor amendment includes any other change to a permit issued under this chapter that will not cause or relax a standard or criterion which may result in a potential deterioration of quality of water in the state. A minor amendment may also include, but is not limited to:

      1. (A) except for Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permits, changing an interim compliance date in a schedule of compliance, provided the new date is not more than 120 days after the date specified in the existing permit and does not interfere with attainment of the final compliance date; and
      2. (B) except for TPDES permits, requiring more frequent monitoring or reporting by the permittee.

   3. (3) Minor modifications for TPDES permits. The executive director may modify a TPDES permit to make corrections or allowances for changes in the permitted activity listed in this subsection (see also §50.45 of this title (relating to Corrections to Permits)). Notice requirements for a minor modification are in §39.151 of this title (relating to Application for Wastewater Discharge Permit, including Application for the Disposal of Sewage Sludge or Water Treatment Sludge). Minor modifications to TPDES permits may only:

      1. (A) correct typographical errors;
      2. (B) require more frequent monitoring or reporting by the permittee;
      3. (C) change an interim compliance date in a schedule of compliance, provided the new date is not more than 120 days after the date specified in the existing permit and does not interfere with attainment of the final compliance date;
      4. (D) change the construction schedule for a discharger which is a new source. No such change shall affect a discharger's obligation to have all pollution control equipment installed and in operation before discharge under §305.534 of this title (relating to New Sources and New Dischargers);
      5. (E) delete a point source outfall when the discharge from that outfall is terminated and does not result in discharge of pollutants from other outfalls except within permit limits;
      6. (F) when the permit becomes final and effective on or after March 9, 1982, add or change provisions to conform with §§305.125, 305.126, 305.531(1), 305.535(c)(1)(B), and 305.537 of this title (relating to Standard Permit Conditions; Additional Standard Permit Conditions for Waste Discharge Permits; Establishing and Calculating Additional Conditions and Limitations for TPDES Permits; Bypasses from TPDES Permitted Facilities; Minimum Requirements for TPDES Permitted Facilities; and Reporting Requirements for Planned Physical Changes to a Permitted Facility); or
      7. (G) incorporate enforceable conditions of a publicly owned treatment works pretreatment program approved under the procedures in 40 CFR §403.11, as adopted by §315.1 of this title (relating to General Pretreatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution).

4. (d) Good cause for amendments. If good cause exists, the executive director may initiate and the commission may order a major amendment, minor amendment, modification, or minor modification to a permit and the executive director may request an updated application if necessary. Good cause includes, but is not limited to:

   1. (1) there are material and substantial changes to the permitted facility or activity which justify permit conditions that are different or absent in the existing permit;
   2. (2) information, not available at the time of permit issuance, is received by the executive director, justifying amendment of existing permit conditions;
   3. (3) the standards or regulations on which the permit or a permit condition was based have been changed by statute, through promulgation of new or amended standards or regulations, or by judicial decision after the permit was issued;
   4. (4) an act of God, strike, flood, material shortage, or other event over which the permittee has no control and for which there is no reasonably available alternative may be determined to constitute good cause for amendment of a compliance schedule;
   5. (5) for underground injection wells, a determination that the waste being injected is a hazardous waste as defined under §335.1 of this title (relating to Definitions) either because the definition has been revised, or because a previous determination has been changed; and
   6. (6) for Underground Injection Control (UIC) area permits, any information that cumulative effects on the environment are unacceptable.
5. (e) Amendment of land disposal facility permit. When a permit for a land disposal facility used to manage hazardous waste is reviewed by the commission under §305.127(1)(B)(iii) of this title (relating to Conditions to be Determined for Individual Permits), the commission shall modify the permit as necessary to assure that the facility continues to comply with currently applicable requirements of this chapter and Chapter 335 of this title (relating to Industrial Solid Waste and Municipal Hazardous Waste).
6. (f) Amendment initiated by the executive director. If the executive director determines to file a petition to amend a permit, notice of the determination stating the grounds therefor and a copy of a proposed amendment draft shall be personally served on or mailed to the permittee at the last address of record with the commission. This notice should be given at least 15 days before a petition is filed with the commission. However, such notice period shall not be jurisdictional.
7. (g) Amendment initiated permit expiration. The existing permit will remain effective and will not expire until commission action on the application for amendment is final. The commission may extend the term of a permit when taking action on an application for amendment.
8. (h) Amendment application considered a request for renewal. For applications filed under the Texas Water Code, Chapter 26, an application for a major amendment to a permit may also be considered as an application for a renewal of the permit if so requested by the applicant.

Source Note:The provisions of this §305.62 adopted to be effective June 19, 1986, 11 TexReg 2594; amended to be effective July 14, 1987, 12 TexReg 2102; amended to be effective July 27, 1988, 13 TexReg 3513; amended to be effective July 5, 1989, 14 TexReg 3046; amended to be effective October 8, 1990, 15 TexReg 5492; amended to be effective October 29, 1990, 15 TexReg 6015; amended to be effective June 13, 1996, 21 TexReg 4999; amended to be effective February 11, 1997, 22 TexReg 1169; amended to be effective June 5, 1997, 22 TexReg 4583; amended to be effective June 17, 1999, 24 TexReg 4441; amendedto be effective September 14, 2000, 25 TexReg 8974.