§342L-7  Authority to obtain information and data, inspect, and require and conduct activities; penalties for disclosure.  (a)  For the purpose of developing or assisting in the development of any rule, conducting any study, taking any release response action, or enforcing this chapter, any owner or operator of an underground storage tank or tank system, and any person involved in response actions relating to any releases from these tanks or tank systems, upon the request of any duly authorized representative of the department, shall:

     (1)  Furnish information relating to the tanks or tank systems, including tank equipment and contents and any response actions relating to releases from the tanks or tank systems;

     (2)  Conduct monitoring or testing; and

     (3)  Permit the designated representative at all reasonable times to have access to, and to copy all records relating to the tanks or tank systems.

     (b)  For the purpose of developing or assisting in the development of any rule, conducting any study, investigating an actual or suspected release, monitoring for compliance or noncompliance with this chapter, any rule or standard adopted pursuant to this chapter, or any permit or variance issued pursuant to this chapter, taking release response action, or enforcing this chapter, any duly authorized representative of the department may:

     (1)  Enter at reasonable times any establishment or place;

     (2)  Inspect and obtain samples from any person of any regulated substances contained in any underground storage tank or tank system;

     (3)  Conduct monitoring or testing of the tanks or tank systems, associated equipment, contents, or soils, air, surface water, or groundwater; and

     (4)  Take release response action.

Each inspection shall be commenced and completed with reasonable promptness.

     (c)  Any records, reports, or information obtained from any persons under this section shall be available to the public except as provided in this subsection.  Upon a showing satisfactory to the department that public disclosure of records, reports, or information, or a particular part thereof, to which the department representative has access under this section would divulge information entitled to protection under chapter 92F, the department shall consider the information or a particular portion thereof to be confidential.  No such confidential information secured pursuant to this section by any official or employee of the department within the scope and [course] of the official's or employee's employment in the prevention, control, or abatement of releases from underground storage tanks or tank systems shall be disclosed by the official or employee with the following exception:  the document or information may be disclosed to officers, employees, or authorized representatives of the State or of the United States, including local government entities, who have been charged with carrying out this chapter or Subtitle I of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or when relevant in any proceeding under this chapter.

     (d)  Any representative of the department, acquiring confidential information pursuant to this section, who intentionally or knowingly divulges or discloses information, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or be imprisoned for a period not to exceed one year, or both, unless the disclosure is authorized in this chapter or ordered by a court or at an administrative hearing regarding an alleged violation of this chapter or of any rule or standard adopted pursuant to this chapter. [L 1989, c 212, pt of §6; am L 1992, c 259, §9]

Note

  The amendment made by L 2014, c 218, §8 is not included in this section.