1. Information obtained under sections 260.350 to 260.430 or any rule or regulation, order or license or permit term or condition adopted or issued hereunder, or any investigation authorized thereby, shall be available to the public unless nondisclosure is requested in writing including justification to the satisfaction of the director that such information constitutes trade secrets or information which is entitled to confidential treatment in order to protect any plan, process, tool, mechanism or compound which is known only to the person claiming confidential treatment and where confidential treatment is necessary to protect such person’s trade, business or manufacturing process, where such nondisclosure will not result in an unreasonable threat to the health of humans or other living organisms and disclosure is not required under any federal hazardous waste management act. If the director finds the information does not warrant confidential treatment, the person shall be notified by registered mail. The information may be released to the public after thirty days of receipt of the notice from the director unless the person obtains a restraining order prohibiting disclosure. Any action by the director concerning confidential treatment may be appealed to the hazardous waste management commission which may uphold or reverse such action. Any member of the commission or employee of the department, for a period of two years after the termination of such relationship, who is convicted of willful disclosure or conspiracy to disclose trade secrets or information which is entitled to such confidential treatment to any person other than one entitled to the information under sections 260.350 to 260.430 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by fine of not more than one thousand dollars.

2. No action, ordinance or law, with the exception of local option on location, of any county, city, town, village or other political subdivision of this state shall operate to prevent the location or operation of a hazardous waste facility or transporter holding a current hazardous waste facility permit or transporter license issued hereunder within its boundaries. Nothing in this subsection shall, however, prevent any such political subdivision from challenging a facility’s or transporter’s compliance with sections 260.350 to 260.430 or any rule or regulation, order or permit or license term or condition adopted or issued hereunder. No hazardous waste disposal facility established after September 28, 1977, shall be located within one-fourth mile of any permanent, occupied residential dwelling house completed prior to the receipt by the department of a letter of intent for such hazardous waste disposal facility without the written consent of the owner of such residential house. All hazardous waste disposal facilities shall have a minimum three-hundred-foot buffer zone between the property line of the facility and the permitted area. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to overburden, rocks, tailings, slag, residue or other wastes resulting from mining, milling and smelting.

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3. All pending applicants for the development of a hazardous waste disposal facility shall meet all requirements of this act^*.