SB 2076

This bill expands the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality's authority to conduct comprehensive criminal history background checks on applicants for radioactive materials licenses and solid waste permits. The legislation requires applicants (including partners, officers, directors, major debt/equity holders, and management personnel) to submit fingerprints and undergo statewide and nationwide criminal record checks at their own expense as part of an environmental compliance review. The department gains the power to deny applications based on criminal convictions, contempt of court adjudications, repeated environmental law violations, or material misrepresentations within the past five years, while also considering factors like the relevance and circumstances of any offenses.