(1) The department may deregister a facility:

(a) on written request of the owner or operator, or

(b) for a violation of this chapter.

(2) To deregister a facility under (1)(b), the department shall notify the owner or operator in writing of its intent to deregister by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner or operator's last known address. The department shall advise the owner or operator of the right to request a hearing before the board under 75-2-211, MCA.

(3) If the department does not receive a return receipt for the notice of intent to deregister in (2), the department may give notice to the owner or operator by publishing the notice of intent to deregister. The publication must occur once each week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in the county where the owner or operator's mailing address set forth in the registration is located. If no newspaper is published in that county, then the notice may be published in a newspaper having a general circulation in that county.

(4) When the department has published notice under (3), the owner or operator is deemed to have received the notice on the date the last notice was published.

(5) A hearing request must be in writing and must be filed with the board within 15 days after receipt of the department's notice of intent to deregister. Filing a hearing request postpones the effective date of the department's decision until issuance of a final decision by the board.

(6) If no hearing request is filed, the department's decision to deregister a facility is final when 15 days have elapsed from the date the owner or operator received notice.

(7) A hearing under this subchapter is governed by the contested case provisions of the Montana Administrative Procedure Act, Title 2, chapter 4, part 6, MCA.