Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Amendments Act of 1997

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Leaking Underground Storage Tank 
Trust Fund Amendments Act of 1997''.

TITLE I--DISTRIBUTIONS FROM LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK TRUST FUND

SEC. 101. LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS.

    (a) Trust Fund Distribution.--Section 9004 of the Solid Waste 
Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6991c) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(f) Trust Fund Distribution to States.--
            ``(1) In general.--(A) The Administrator shall distribute 
        to States at least 85 percent of the funds appropriated to the 
        Environmental Protection Agency from the Leaking Underground 
        Storage Tank Trust Fund (in this subsection referred to as the 
        `Trust Fund') each fiscal year for the reasonable costs under 
        cooperative agreements entered into with the Administrator for 
        the following:
                    ``(i) States' actions under section 9003(h)(7)(A).
                    ``(ii) Necessary administrative expenses directly 
                related to corrective action and compensation programs 
                under subsection (c)(1).
                    ``(iii) Enforcement of a State or local program 
                approved under this section or enforcement of this 
                subtitle or similar State or local provisions by a 
                State or local government.
                    ``(iv) State and local corrective actions pursuant 
                to regulations promulgated under section 9003(c)(4).
                    ``(v) Corrective action and compensation programs 
                under subsection (c)(1) for releases from underground 
                storage tanks regulated under this subtitle in any 
                instance, as determined by the State, in which the 
                financial resources of an owner or operator, excluding 
                resources provided by programs under subsection (c)(1), 
                are not adequate to pay for the cost of a corrective 
                action without significantly impairing the ability of 
                the owner or operator to continue in business.
            ``(B) Funds provided by the Administrator under 
        subparagraph (A) may not be used by States for purposes of 
        providing financial assistance to an owner or operator in 
        meeting the requirements respecting underground storage tanks 
        contained in section 280.21 of title 40 of the Code of Federal 
        Regulations (as in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
        subsection) or similar requirements in State programs approved 
        under this section or similar State or local provisions.
            ``(2) Allocation.--
                    ``(A) Process.--In the case of a State that the 
                Administrator has entered into a cooperative agreement 
                with under section 9003(h)(7)(A), the Administrator 
                shall distribute funds from the Trust Fund to the State 
                using the allocation process developed by the 
                Administrator for such cooperative agreements.
                    ``(B) Revisions to process.--The Administrator may 
                revise such allocation process only after--
                            ``(i) consulting with State agencies 
                        responsible for overseeing corrective action 
                        for releases from underground storage tanks and 
                        with representatives of owners and operators; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) taking into consideration, at a 
                        minimum, the total revenue received from each 
                        State into the Trust Fund, the number of 
                        confirmed releases from leaking underground 
                        storage tanks in each State, the number of 
                        notified petroleum storage tanks in each State, 
                        and the percent of the population of each State 
                        using groundwater for any beneficial purpose.
            ``(3) Recipients.--Distributions from the Trust Fund under 
        this subsection shall be made directly to the State agency 
        entering into a cooperative agreement or enforcing the State 
        program.
            ``(4) Cost recovery prohibition.--Funds provided to States 
        from the Trust Fund to owners or operators for programs under 
        subsection (c)(1) for releases from underground storage tanks 
        are not subject to cost recovery by the Administrator under 
        section 9003(h)(6).''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal 
Act (42 U.S.C. 6991 et seq.) is amended as follows:
            (1) Section 9001(3)(A) (42 U.S.C. 6991(3)(A)) is amended by 
        striking out ``sustances'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
        ``substances''.
            (2) Section 9003(f)(1) (42 U.S.C. 6991b(f)(1)) is amended 
        by striking out ``subsection (c) and (d)'' and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``subsections (c) and (d)''.
            (3) Section 9004(a) (42 U.S.C. 6991c(a)) is amended by 
        striking out ``in 9001(2)(A)'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
        ``in section 9001(2)(A)''.
            (4) Section 9005 (42 U.S.C. 6991d) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking out ``study 
                taking'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``study, 
                taking'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking out 
                ``relevent'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
                ``relevant''; and
                    (C) in subsection (b)(4), by striking out 
                ``Evironmental'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
                ``Environmental''.

               TITLE II--EXTENSION OF TRUST FUND PURPOSES

SEC. 201. EXTENSION OF TRUST FUND PURPOSES.

    Paragraph (1) of section 9508(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 (relating to expenditures) is amended by striking ``to carry out 
section 9003(h)'' and all that follows and inserting ``to carry out--
                    ``(A) section 9003(h) of the Solid Waste Disposal 
                Act (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the 
                Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986), 
                and
                    ``(B) section 9004(f) of the Solid Waste Disposal 
                Act (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the 
                Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Amendments 
                Act of 1997).''

            Passed the House of Representatives April 23, 1997.

            Attest:

                                                ROBIN H. CARLE,

                                                                 Clerk.

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
     Title I:  Distributions from Leaking Underground Storage Tank 
          Trust Fund 
     Title II:  Extension of Trust Fund Purposes 
Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Amendments Act of 1997 - 
Title I:  Distributions from Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund
 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to distribute to States at least 85 percent of the funds appropriated to EPA from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund each fiscal year for the reasonable costs under cooperative agreements of:  (1) State actions under the EPA program for petroleum release responses; (2) necessary administrative expenses directly related to corrective action and compensation programs under State financial responsibility requirements; (3) other costs of such programs in any instance, as determined by the State, in which an owner's or operator's financial resources (excluding resources provided by such programs) are inadequate to pay the costs of a corrective action without significantly impairing the ability to continue in business; (4) enforcement of an approved State or local underground storage tank (UST) program or similar provisions; and (5) State and local corrective actions pursuant to regulations regarding corrective action in response to UST releases.  Prohibits use of such funds to provide financial assistance to an owner or operator in meeting regulatory requirements for upgrading of existing UST systems. 
Sets forth requirements for allocation of funds to States. 
Makes inapplicable to Trust Fund amounts provided to owners or operators under programs described in (2), above, provisions for recovery of petroleum release corrective or enforcement action costs. 
Title II:  Extension of Trust Fund Purposes
 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to authorize use of amounts in the Trust Fund for making expenditures to carry out this Act.