(1) The Department of Environmental Quality may enter into an agreement with any applicant, permittee or regulated entity setting a schedule of payments to the department for the purpose of enabling the department to expedite or enhance a regulatory process by contracting for services, hiring additional staff or covering costs of activities not otherwise provided during the ordinary course of department business. The department may expend moneys received under the agreements for:
(a) Activities undertaken by the department under authority of any provision of ORS chapters 448, 453, 454, 459, 459A, 465, 466, 467, 468, 468A and 468B and ORS 475.405 to 475.495.
(b) Administering and reviewing activities described under subsection (3) of this section that are performed by a third party.
(2) Payments agreed to under subsection (1) of this section shall be for services voluntarily requested by the applicant, permittee or regulated entity. As part of the agreement, the department may waive all or part of any fee otherwise imposed for those services. The department shall not alter or establish processing priorities or schedules based upon an expectation of entering into an agreement under subsection (1) of this section.
(3) Not later than July 1, 1998, the department shall identify department activities or portions thereof suitable for contracting out to third parties. Failure of the department to identify a specific activity shall not prevent the expenditure of funds for that activity or for department administration and review of that activity under an agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (1) of this section.
(4) Any moneys received by the department under an agreement described under subsection (1) of this section shall not exceed the cost to the department of providing the service to the applicant, permittee or regulated entity.
(5) Any payments received under an agreement described under subsections (1) to (4) of this section shall be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of an account of the Department of Environmental Quality and are continuously appropriated for the purposes specified in the individual agreements. [1997 c.569 §§2,4(1)]
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