252.204. Fees.
DIRECTLY LINKING FEE INCREASE
TO CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
CONCEPT PAPER
(a) The appropriate fee in accordance with the following schedule shall accompany the application for accreditation. The Department may establish a list of equivalent methods that will be considered a single method with regard to fees. A check shall be payable to
“Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Fee effective through December 31, 2008:
CATEGORY
Application fee - initial and renewal
Application fee - ownership transfer
Application fee - addition of fields of accreditation
Basic non-potable water category (Fecal coliform, BOD, CBOD, suspended solids, nitrate, ammonia, total nitrogen, phosphorus)
Basic drinking water category (Total coliform bacteria, heterotropic bacteria, nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, cyanide, hardness)
Asbestos category
Microbiology - basic, first method (includes 1 method each for total coliform, fecal coliform, E.coli
, and heterotropic bacteria)
Microbiology -basic, each additional method
Microbiology - non-basic each method
Maximum fee for microbiology category
Trace metal category, first method
Trace metal category each additional method
Maximum fee for trace metal category
Inorganic non-metal category, first method
Inorganic non-metal category, each additional method
Maximum fee for inorganic non-metal category
Gas chromatography
– volatiles category, first method
Gas chromatography – volatiles category, each additional method
Maximum fee for gas chromatography - volatiles category
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
– volatiles category, first method
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry – volatiles category, each additional method
Maximum fee for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry - volatiles category
Gas chromatography – extractable category, each method
Maximum fee for gas chromatography extractable category
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry – extractable category, first method
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
– extractable category, each
FEE
$700
$150
$150
$750
$700
$500
$450
$150
$1,000
$400
$3,000
$500
$250
$300
$100
$250
$1,000
$350
$150
$1,200
$350
$100
$2,500
$400
$100
$1,000
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DIRECTLY LINKING FEE INCREASE
TO CONSUMER PRICE INDEX
CONCEPT PAPER
CATEGORY additional method
Maximum fee for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry extractable category
Other organic including liquid chromatography, each method
Maximum fee for other organic category
Dioxin category, each method
Radiochemical category, first method
FEE
$2,000
$350
$2,000
$500
$500
Radiochemical category, each additional method
Maximum fee for radiochemical category
$250
$1,500
Whole effluent toxicity testing category $500
(b) The fees imposed under subsection (a) shall be increased every 3 years beginning January 1, 2009. The initial fee increase shall be by the percentage, if any, by which the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year 2008 exceeds the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year
2005. Subsequent fee increases shall be by the percentage, if any, by which the Consumer Price Index for the current calendar year exceeds the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year of the previous fee increase. For the purposes of this subsection:
(1) The Consumer Price Index for any calendar year is the average of the Consumer Price Index for All-Urban Consumers, published by the United States Department of Labor, as of the close of the twelve (12) month period ending on June 30.
(2) The revision of the Consumer Price Index that is most consistent with the Consumer Price Index for calendar year 2005 shall be used.
(3) The Department will publish the revised fee table not less than 90 days prior to the effective date of the revision.
RATIONALE: The March 19, 2004 draft of the Environmental Laboratory
Accreditation Regulations contain fee increases based upon projected increases in the Consumer Price Index. This proposal links any fee increase to actual changes in the Consumer Price Index. Changes would be made every three years to help faculties appropriately budget for any fee increase. Also, because the basis for the fee increase is widely available, facilities could project what the fee increase would be, prior to the Department publishing a fee table. By linking the fee increases to the Consumer Price Index, the fees collected would continue to cover the Department’s cost of implementing and administering the accreditation program.
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