North Dakota Century Code Title 23.1. Environmental Quality § 23.1-03-05. Custody of disposal sites

a. The licensee will comply with any decontamination, decommissioning, and stabilization standards prescribed by the department, which must be equivalent to or more stringent than those of the commission for sites, structures, and equipment used in conjunction with the processing, generation, or disposal of source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially; and

b. Ownership of any disposal site and source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially which resulted from the licensed activity must, subject to subsection 2, be transferred to the United States if provided by federal law, or this state if the state exercises the option to acquire land used for the disposal of the source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially.

2. a. The department shall require by rule or order that before the termination of any license, title to the land and any interests in the land, other than land held in trust by the United States for any Indian tribe or owned by an Indian tribe subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States or land already owned by the United States or by the state, used for the disposal of source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially pursuant to a license, must be transferred to the United States if provided by federal law, or this state, unless the commission and the department determine before the termination that transfer of title is not necessary to protect the public health, safety, or welfare, or to minimize danger to life or property.

b. If transfer to the state of title to the land, source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially is required, the department shall maintain the material and land in a manner that will protect the public health, safety, and the environment.

c. The department may undertake any monitoring, maintenance, and emergency measures necessary to protect the public health and safety for materials and property for which it has assumed custody under this chapter.

d. The transfer of title to land or source material, byproduct material, or other radioactive material occurring naturally or produced artificially, to the state does not relieve any licensee of liability for any fraudulent or negligent acts done prior to the transfer.

e. Material and land transferred to either the United States or the state under this section must be transferred without cost to the United States or the state other than administrative and legal costs incurred by the United States or the state in carrying out the transfer.