IA Code § 455G.9 (2021)
2021 Iowa Code|Title XI - NATURAL RESOURCES|Chapter 455G - FUEL STORAGE TANKS AND DISPENSING INFRASTRUCTURE|Section 455G.9 - Remedial program.

455G.9 Remedial program.   1. Limits of remedial account coverage. Moneys in the remedial account shall only be paid out for the following:   a. (1) Corrective action for an eligible release reported to the department of natural resources on or after July 1, 1987, but prior to May 5, 1989. Third-party liability is specifically excluded from remedial account coverage. For a claim for a release under this subparagraph, the remedial program shall pay in accordance with subsection 4. For a release to be eligible for coverage under this subparagraph the following conditions must be satisfied:   (a) The owner or operator applying for coverage shall not be a person who is maintaining, or has maintained, proof of financial responsibility for federal regulations through self-insurance.   (b) The owner or operator applying for coverage shall not have claimed bankruptcy any time on or after July 1, 1987.   (c) The claim for coverage pursuant to this subparagraph must have been filed with the board prior to January 31, 1990, except that cities and counties must have filed their claim with the board by September 1, 1990.   (d) The owner or operator at the time the release was reported to the department of natural resources must have been in compliance with then current monitoring requirements, if any, or must have been in the process of compliance efforts with anticipated requirements, including installation of monitoring devices, a new tank, tank improvements or retrofit, or any combination.   (2) Corrective action, up to one million dollars total, and subject to prioritization rules as established pursuant to section 455G.12A, for a release reported to the department of natural resources after May 5, 1989, and on or before October 26, 1990. Third-party liability is specifically excluded from remedial account coverage. Corrective action coverage provided pursuant to this paragraph may be aggregated with other financial assurance mechanisms as permitted by federal law to satisfy required aggregate and per occurrence limits of financial responsibility for both corrective action and third-party liability, if the owner’s or operator’s effective financial responsibility compliance date is prior to October 26, 1990. School districts who reported a release to the department of natural resources prior to December 1, 1990, shall have until July 1, 1991, to report a claim to the board for remedial coverage under this subparagraph.   (3) Corrective action for an eligible release reported to the department of natural resources on or after January 1, 1984, but prior to July 1, 1987. Third-party liability is specifically excluded from remedial account coverage. For a claim for a release under this subparagraph, the remedial program shall pay in accordance with subsection 4. For a release to be eligible for coverage under this subparagraph the following conditions must be satisfied:   (a) The owner or operator applying for coverage must be currently engaged in the business for which the tank connected with the release was used prior to the report of the release.   (b) The owner or operator applying for coverage shall not be a person who is maintaining, or has maintained, proof of financial responsibility for federal regulations through self-insurance.   (c) The owner or operator applying for coverage shall not have claimed bankruptcy any time on or after January 1, 1985.   (d) The claim for coverage pursuant to this subparagraph must have been filed with the board prior to September 1, 1990.   (e) The owner or operator at the time the release was reported to the department of natural resources must have been in compliance with then current monitoring requirements, if any, or must have been in the process of compliance efforts with anticipated requirements, including installation of monitoring devices, a new tank, tank improvements or retrofit, or any combination.   (4) One hundred percent of the costs of corrective action for a release reported to the department of natural resources on or before July 1, 1991, if the owner or operator is not a governmental entity and is a not-for-profit organization exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with a net annual income of twenty-five thousand dollars or less for the year 1990, and if the tank which is the subject of the corrective action is a registered tank and is under one thousand one hundred gallons capacity.   (5) For the purposes of calculating corrective action costs under this paragraph, corrective action shall include the cost of a tank system upgrade required by section 455B.474, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6), subparagraph division (i). Payments under this subparagraph shall be limited to a maximum of ten thousand dollars for any one site.   (6) For the purposes of calculating corrective action costs under this paragraph, corrective action shall include the costs associated with monitoring required by the rules adopted under section 455B.474, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6), but corrective action shall exclude monitoring used for leak detection required by rules adopted under section 455B.474, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (1).   b. Corrective action and third-party liability for a release discovered on or after January 24, 1989, for which a responsible owner or operator able to pay cannot be found and for which the federal underground storage tank trust fund or other federal moneys do not provide coverage. For the purposes of this section property shall not be deeded or quitclaimed to the state or board in lieu of cleanup. Additionally, the ability to pay shall be determined after a claim has been filed. The board is not liable for any cost where either the responsible owner or operator, or both, have a net worth greater than fifteen thousand dollars, or where the responsible party can be determined. Third-party liability specifically excludes any claim, cause of action, or suit, for personal injury including, but not limited to, loss of use or of private enjoyment, mental anguish, false imprisonment, wrongful entry or eviction, humiliation, discrimination, or malicious prosecution.   c. Corrective action and third-party liability for a tank owned or operated by a financial institution eligible to participate in the remedial account under section 455G.16 if the prior owner or operator is unable to pay, if so authorized by the board as part of a condition or incentive for financial institution participation in the fund pursuant to section 455G.16. Third-party liability specifically excludes any claim, cause of action, or suit, for personal injury including, but not limited to, loss of use or of private enjoyment, mental anguish, false imprisonment, wrongful entry or eviction, humiliation, discrimination, or malicious prosecution.   d. One hundred percent of the costs of corrective action and third-party liability for a release situated on property acquired by a county for delinquent taxes pursuant to chapters 445 through 448, for which a responsible owner or operator able to pay, other than the county, cannot be found. A county is not a “responsible party” for a release in connection with property which it acquires in connection with delinquent taxes, and does not become a responsible party by sale or transfer of property so acquired. In such situations, the board may act as an agent for the county. Actual corrective action on the site shall be overseen by the department, the board, and a certified groundwater professional. Third-party liability specifically excludes any claim, cause of action, or suit, for personal injury including but not limited to loss of use or of private enjoyment, mental anguish, false imprisonment, wrongful entry or eviction, humiliation, discrimination, or malicious prosecution. Reasonable acquisition costs do not include any taxes or costs related to the collection of taxes.   e. Corrective action for a release reported to the department of natural resources after May 5, 1989, and on or before October 26, 1990, in connection with a tank owned or operated by a state agency or department which elects to participate in the remedial account pursuant to this paragraph. A state agency or department which does not receive a standing unlimited appropriation which may be used to pay for the costs of a corrective action may opt, with the approval of the board, to participate in the remedial account. As a condition of opting to participate in the remedial account, the agency or department shall pay all registration fees, storage tank management fees, environmental protection charges, and all other charges and fees upon all tanks owned or operated by the agency or department in the same manner as if the agency or department were a person required to maintain financial responsibility. Once an agency has opted to participate in the remedial program, it cannot opt out, and shall continue to pay all charges and fees upon all tanks owned or operated by the agency or department so long as the charges or fees are imposed on similarly situated tanks of a person required to maintain financial responsibility. The board shall by rule adopted pursuant to chapter 17A provide the terms and conditions for a state agency or department to opt to participate in the remedial account. A state agency or department which opts to participate in the remedial account shall be subject to the minimum copayment schedule of subsection 4, as if the state agency or department were a person required to maintain financial responsibility.   f. One hundred percent of the costs up to twenty thousand dollars incurred by the board under section 455G.12A, subsection 2, paragraph “b”, for site cleanup reports. Costs of a site cleanup report which exceed twenty thousand dollars shall be considered a cost of corrective action and the amount shall be included in the calculations for corrective action cost copayments under subsection 4. The board shall have the discretion to authorize a site cleanup report payment in excess of twenty thousand dollars if the site is participating in community remediation.   g. (1) Corrective action for the costs of a release under all of the following conditions:   (a) The property upon which the tank causing the release was situated was transferred by inheritance, devise, or bequest.   (b) The property upon which the tank causing the release was situated has not been used to store or dispense petroleum since December 31, 1975.   (c) The person who received the property by inheritance, devise, or bequest was not the owner of the property during the period of time when the release which is the subject of the corrective action occurred.   (d) The release was reported to the board by October 26, 1991.   (2) Corrective action costs and copayment amounts under this paragraph “g” shall be paid in accordance with subsection 4.   (3) A person requesting benefits under this paragraph “g” may establish that the conditions of subparagraph (1), subparagraph divisions (a), (b), and (c), are met through the use of supporting documents, including a personal affidavit.   h. One hundred percent of the costs of corrective action for a governmental subdivision in connection with a tank which was in place on the date the release was discovered or reported if the governmental subdivision did not own or operate the tank which caused the release and if the governmental subdivision did not obtain the property upon which the tank giving rise to the release is located on or after May 3, 1991. Property acquired pursuant to eminent domain in connection with a United States department of housing and urban development approved urban renewal project is eligible for payment of costs under this paragraph whether or not the property was acquired on or after May 3, 1991.   i. Notwithstanding section 455G.1, subsection 2, corrective action, for a release which was tested prior to October 26, 1990, and for which the site was issued a no-further-action letter by the department of natural resources and which was later determined, due to sale of the property or removal of a nonoperating tank, to require remediation which was reported to the administrator by October 26, 1992, in an amount as specified in subsection 4. In order to qualify for benefits under this paragraph, the applicant must not have operated a tank on the property during the period of time for which the applicant owned the property and the applicant must not be a financial institution.   j. One hundred percent of the costs of corrective action for a governmental subdivision in connection with a tank if the governmental subdivision did not own or operate the tank from which the release occurred, and the property was acquired pursuant to eminent domain after the release occurred. A governmental subdivision which acquires property pursuant to eminent domain in order to obtain benefits under this paragraph is not a responsible party for a release in connection with property which it acquired, and does not become a responsible party by sale or transfer of property so acquired.   k. Pursuant to an agreement between the board and the department of natural resources, assessment and corrective action arising out of releases at sites for which a no further action certificate has been issued pursuant to section 455B.474, when the department determines that an unreasonable risk to public health and safety may still exist or that previously reported upon applicable target levels have been exceeded. At a minimum, the agreement shall address eligible costs, contracting for services, and conditions under which sites may be reevaluated.   l. Up to fifteen thousand dollars for the permanent closure of an underground storage tank system that does not meet performance standards for new or upgraded tanks or is otherwise required to be closed pursuant to rules adopted by the environmental protection commission pursuant to section 455B.474. Reimbursement is limited to costs approved by the board prior to the closure activities.   2. Remedial account funding. The remedial account shall be funded by that portion of the proceeds of the use tax imposed under chapter 423, subchapter III, and other moneys and revenues budgeted to the remedial account by the board.   3. Trust fund to be established. When the remedial account has accumulated sufficient capital to provide dependable income to cover the expenses of expected future releases or expected future losses for which no responsible owner is available, the excess capital shall be transferred to a trust fund administered by the board and created for that purpose.   4. Minimum copayment schedule.   a. An owner or operator shall be required to pay the greater of five thousand dollars or eighteen percent of the first eighty thousand dollars of the total costs of corrective action for that release, except for claims pursuant to section 455G.21, where the claimant is not a responsible party or potentially responsible party for the site for which the claim is filed.   b. If a site’s actual expenses exceed eighty thousand dollars, the remedial account shall pay the remainder, as required by federal regulations, of the total costs of the corrective action for that release, not to exceed one million dollars, except that a county shall not be required to pay a copayment in connection with a release situated on property acquired in connection with delinquent taxes, as provided in subsection 1, paragraph “d”, unless subsequent to acquisition the county actively operates a tank on the property for purposes other than risk assessment, risk management, or tank closure.   5. Recovery of gain on sale of property.   a. If an owner or operator ceases to own or operate a tank site for which remedial account benefits were received within ten years of the receipt of any account benefit and sells or transfers a property interest in the tank site for an amount which exceeds one hundred twenty percent of the precorrective action value, adjusted for equipment and capital improvements, the owner or operator shall refund to the remedial account an amount equal to ninety percent of the amount in excess of one hundred twenty percent of the precorrective action value up to a maximum of the expenses incurred by the remedial account associated with the tank site plus interest, equal to the interest for the most recent twelve-month period for the most recent bond issue for the fund, on the expenses incurred, compounded annually. An owner or operator under this subsection shall notify the board of the sale or transfer of the property interest in the tank site. Expenses incurred by the fund are a lien upon the property recordable and collectible in the same manner as the lien provided for in section 424.11, Code 2016, at the time of sale or transfer, subject to the terms of this section.   b. This subsection shall not apply if the sale or transfer is pursuant to a power of eminent domain, or benefits. When federal cleanup funds are recovered, the funds are to be deposited to the remedial account of the fund and used solely for the purpose of future cleanup activities.   6. Recurring releases treated as a newly reported release. A release shall be treated as a release reported on or after May 5, 1989, if prior to May 5, 1989, a release was reported to the department, corrective action was taken pursuant to a site cleanup report approved by the department, and the work performed was accepted by the department. For purposes of this subsection, work performed is accepted by the department if the department did not order further action within ninety days of the date on which the department had notice that the work was completed, unless the department clearly indicated in writing to the owner, operator, contractor, or other agent that additional work would be required beyond that specified in the site cleanup report or in addition to the work actually performed.   7. Expenses of cleanup not required. When an owner or operator who is eligible for benefits under this subchapter is allowed by the department of natural resources to monitor in place, the expenses incurred for cleanup beyond the level required by the department of natural resources may be covered under any of the accounts established under the fund only if approved by the board as cost-effective relative to the department accepted monitoring plan or relative to the repeal date specified in section 424.19, Code 2016. The cleanup expenses incurred for work completed beyond what is required is the responsibility of the person contracting for the excess cleanup. The board shall seek to terminate the responsible party’s environmental liabilities at such sites prior to the board ceasing operation.   8. Owner or operator defined. For purposes of receiving benefits under this section, “owner or operator” means the then current tank owner or operator or the owner of the land for which a covered release was reported or application for benefits was submitted on or before the relevant application deadlines of this section.   9. Self-insureds. For a self-insured as determined under  567 IAC 136.6  (455B), to qualify for remedial benefits under this section, tanks shall be upgraded by January 1, 1995, as specified by the United States environmental protection agency in  40 C.F.R. §280.21  , as amended through January 1, 1989. A self-insured who qualifies for benefits under this section shall repay any benefits received if the upgrade date is not met.   10. Expenses incurred by governmental subdivisions and public works utilities. The board shall adopt rules for reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred by a governmental subdivision or public works utility for sampling, treating, handling, or disposing, as required by the department, of petroleum-contaminated soil and groundwater encountered in a public right-of-way during installation, maintenance, or repair of a utility or public improvement. The board may seek full recovery from a responsible party liable for the release for such expenses and for all other costs and reasonable attorney fees and costs of litigation for which moneys are expended by the fund. Any expense described in this subsection incurred by the fund constitutes a lien upon the property from which the release occurred. A lien shall be recorded and an expense shall be collected in the same manner as provided in section 424.11, Code 2016.  89 Acts, ch 131, §50; 89 Acts, ch 307, §46; 90 Acts, ch 1235, §22 – 28; 90 Acts, ch 1267, §42 – 44; 91 Acts, ch 252, §14 – 24; 92 Acts, ch 1217, §7; 93 Acts, ch 155, §2 – 4; 95 Acts, ch 215, §16, 17; 98 Acts, ch 1065, §3 – 5; 99 Acts, ch 74, §1, 2; 2000 Acts, ch 1226, §15, 30  ; 2003 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 2, §201, 205  ; 2004 Acts, ch 1094, §3, 5, 6; 2007 Acts, ch 171, §7, 8; 2010 Acts, ch 1193, §180 – 184; 2011 Acts, ch 25, §111, 112, 141, 142; 2013 Acts, ch 90, §126; 2016 Acts, ch 1105, §12, 13, 15  Referred to in §455B.474, 455G.3, 455G.12A, 455G.21