Senate Bill 181 Summary

• Adopts risk-based assessment and cleanup standards for petroleum discharges and releases, allowing the state flexibility to tailor cleanup requirements based on site-specific conditions and risk levels to human health and the environment.

• Expands the Commercial Fund to cover site investigation costs required by the Department to determine whether a release has occurred, and allows reimbursement for cleanup when contamination from underground storage tanks becomes commingled with contamination from other sources.

• Allows owners or operators to claim exemption from annual operating fees ($420 per tank) for tank compartments not containing petroleum products during the calendar year, with ineligible compartments barred from fund reimbursement.

• Delays secondary containment requirements for underground storage tank systems installed after January 1, 1991, until January 1, 2020, and permits variances from setback requirements for wells serving single facilities if human health and groundwater protection are maintained.

• Authorizes the Department to use up to $1 million annually from the Commercial Fund to assist responsible parties demonstrating severe financial hardship in conducting assessment and cleanup activities.