SPS 347.015(26)
(26) "Natural attenuation" means the reduction in the concentration and mass of a substance and its breakdown products in groundwater or soils, or both, due to naturally occurring physical, chemical or biological processes.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (cs), Stats., defines occurrence as a contiguous contaminated area resulting from one or more petroleum product discharges.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: In Mews vs. Wisconsin Department of Commerce,
2004 WI APP 24, 676 NW 2d 160 Wis APP. (2004), the Court concluded that this definition is "published and unambiguous." In arriving at this conclusion, the Court agreed with the department that without an intervening, unimpacted area of no detects, all contamination at a site is contiguous and is therefore a single occurrence.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (d), Stats., defines operator as:
SPS 347.015 Note
(d) 1. A person who operates a petroleum product storage system, regardless of whether the system remains in operation and regardless of whether the person operates or permits the use of the system at the time the environmental pollution occurs; or
SPS 347.015 Note
2. A subsidiary or parent corporation of the person specified under subd. 1.
SPS 347.015(29)
(29) "Outstanding unreimbursed loan amount" means funds that have been disbursed by the financial organization for actual costs incurred by the borrower's service providers and any earned interest charges, less any amounts reimbursed by the PECFA program.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (e), Stats., defines owner as any of the following:
SPS 347.015 Note
(e) 1. A person who owns, or has possession or control of, a petroleum product storage system or who receives direct or indirect consideration from the operation of a system regardless of whether the system remains in operation and regardless of whether the person owns or receives consideration at the time the discharge occurs;
SPS 347.015 Note
2. A subsidiary or parent corporation of the person specified under subd. 1.
SPS 347.015(31)
(31) "Passive bio-remediation" has the same meaning as "natural attenuation".
SPS 347.015(32)
(32) "PECFA" means petroleum environmental cleanup fund award, as established in s.
101.143, Stats.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Chapter
SPS 310 defines person as an individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, federal agency, corporation, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of the state, or any interstate body. "Person" also includes a consortium, a joint venture, a commercial entity, and the United States government.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (f), Stats., defines a petroleum product as gasoline, gasoline-alcohol fuel blends, kerosene, fuel oil, burner oil, diesel fuel oil or used motor oil.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (fg), Stats., defines a petroleum product storage system as a storage tank that is located in Wisconsin and is used to store petroleum products together with any on-site integral piping or dispensing system. The term does not include pipeline facilities; tanks of 110 gallons or less capacity; residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity storing petroleum products that are not for resale; farm tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity storing petroleum products that are not for resale, except as provided in sub. (4) (ei); tanks used for storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored, except for heating oil tanks owned by school districts and heating oil tanks owned by technical college districts and except as provided in sub. (4) (ei); or tanks owned by Wisconsin or the federal government.
SPS 347.015(36)
(36) "Pollution impairment" means bodily injury or property damage arising from the actual, alleged or threatened discharge, dispersal, seepage, migration, release, or escape of a petroleum product.
SPS 347.015(37)
(37) "Prime rate" means the most recent rate published in the Wall Street Journal under Money Rates — Prime Rate.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: The prime rate is the base rate on corporate loans posted by at least 75% of the nation's 30 largest banks.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (g), Stats., defines program year as the period beginning on August 1 and ending on the following July 31.
SPS 347.015(39)
(39) "Progress payment" means an award made prior to the full completion of a remediation and may include payments after completion of an emergency action, site investigation, remediation, maintenance or operation, or other points as defined in this chapter.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (gm), Stats., defines property damage as not including those liabilities which are exclusions in liability insurance policies for property damage, other than liability for remedial action associated with petroleum product discharges from petroleum product storage systems. The statute also excludes loss of fair market value.
SPS 347.015(41)
(41) "Remedial action plan" means a document that reports a remedial action alternative and provides the basis for its recommendation along with projected costs and other required detail.
SPS 347.015(42)
(42) "Responsible party" means either the owner, operator, person owning a home oil tank system or claimant who is financially responsible for all costs of remediation of a discharge of petroleum product.
SPS 347.015(43)
(43) "Site bundling" means providing investigation or remedial action services, or both, for multiple occurrences while utilizing one consulting firm or common commodity services and providers, or both.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (gs) defines service provider as a consultant, testing laboratory, monitoring well installer, soil boring contractor, other contractor, lender or any other person who provides a product or service for which a claim for reimbursement has been or will be filed under this section (ch.
SPS 347), or a subcontractor of such a person.
SPS 347.015(45)
(45) "Site investigation" means the investigation of a petroleum product discharge to provide the information necessary to define the nature, degree and extent of a contamination and to allow a remedial action alternative to be selected.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (h) defines subsidiary or parent company as a business entity, including a subsidiary, parent corporation or other business arrangement, that has elements of common ownership or control or that uses a long-term contractual arrangement with a person to avoid direct responsibility for conditions at a petroleum product storage system site.
SPS 347.015(48)
(48) "Third-party claim" means a claim against a claimant for personal injury or property damage associated with a discharge from an underground petroleum product storage tank system under this chapter.
SPS 347.015 Note
Note: Section
101.143 (1) (i), Stats., defines underground petroleum product storage tank system as an underground storage tank used for storing petroleum products together with any on-site integral piping or dispensing system with at least 10% of its total volume buried in the ground.
SPS 347.015(50)
(50) "Upgrade" means the addition or retrofit of a petroleum product storage tank system with cathodic protection, lining or spill and overfill controls.
SPS 347.015(51)
(51) "Used motor oil" means oil from internal combustion engines, collected and stored in accordance with
s. SPS 310.300.
SPS 347.015(52)
(52) "Willful neglect" means the intentional failure to comply with the laws or rules of the state concerning the storage of petroleum products and may include, but is not limited to, the failure to:
SPS 347.015(52)(b)
(b) Take out of service a tank system that by reason of operational characteristics or leak detection is suspected of causing a discharge to the environment;
SPS 347.015(52)(g)
(g) Register or actions to de-register an underground or aboveground tank system in order to avoid regulation under
ch. SPS 310; or
SPS 347.015 History
History: Cr.
Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; r. and recr.
Register, December, 1998, No. 516, eff. 1-1-99;
CR 04-058: am. (24) and (32)
Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06;
CR 07-029: r. and recr. (19)
Register November 2008 No. 635, eff. 2-1-09; correction in (51) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register November 2008 No. 635; correction in (11), (19), (33), (47), (51), (52) (f), (g) made under s.
13.92 (4) (b) 6.,
7., Stats.,
Register December 2011 No. 672.
SPS 347.02(1)(1)
Petroleum product storage tank systems. Owners or operators of a petroleum product storage systems are eligible for reimbursement from the fund provided claims are for underground or aboveground petroleum storage systems that are one or more of the following:
SPS 347.02(1)(b)
(b) Heating oil tank systems where the petroleum product is sold.
SPS 347.02(1)(c)
(c) Farm or residential tank systems larger than 1,100 gallons capacity and not storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises.
SPS 347.02(1)(d)
(d) Tank systems storing gasoline, diesel fuel or other vehicle fuel, other than residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity.
SPS 347.02(1)(e)
(e) Farm vehicle fuel systems of 1,100 gallons or less capacity, which meet the requirements in s.
101.143 (4) (ei) 1m. a., Stats., regarding farm size and farm income, and is used to store products not for resale.
SPS 347.02(1)(f)
(f) Heating oil tank systems owned by public school or technical college districts, supplying heating oil for consumptive use on the premises.
SPS 347.02(1)(g)
(g) Tank systems located on trust lands of an American Indian tribe or band if the owner or operator's tank system would be otherwise covered under
pars. (a) to
(f) and the owner or operator complies with this chapter and
ch. SPS 310 and obtains all applicable agency approvals.
SPS 347.02(2)
(2) Heating oil tank systems. A person owning a home heating oil tank system is eligible for reimbursement from the fund provided the claim is for a heating oil tank system that is an underground home heating oil tank system and the person complies with this chapter and
ch. SPS 310.
SPS 347.02(3)
(3) Exclusions. The fund does not cover a claim for any of the following:
SPS 347.02(3)(c)
(c) A residential motor fuel tank system of 1,100 gallons or less capacity.
SPS 347.02(3)(e)
(e) Any tank system of 110 gallons or less capacity which is not used for the storage of home heating oil.
SPS 347.02(3)(f)
(f) A nonresidential heating or boiler tank system where the product is used on the premises where it is stored.
SPS 347.02(3)(g)
(g) An underground petroleum product storage tank system or home oil tank system that meets the performance standards in
40 CFR 280.20 or
ch. SPS 310, was installed after December 22, 1988, and from which a release was confirmed after December 31, 1995.
SPS 347.02(3)(h)
(h) An underground petroleum product storage tank system or home oil tank system that meets the upgrading requirements in
40 CFR 280.21 (b) to (d) or
ch. SPS 310 and a discharge is confirmed after December 31, 1995, and the discharge is confirmed, or remedial activities begun, after the day on which the system first met the upgrading requirements.
SPS 347.02(3)(i)
(i) A new aboveground petroleum product storage tank system that meets the performance standards promulgated in rules by the department, installed after April 30, 1991, and from which a discharge is confirmed after December 22, 2001.
SPS 347.02(3)(j)
(j) An aboveground petroleum product storage tank system that meets the upgrade requirements promulgated by the department and a discharge is confirmed after December 22, 2001, and the discharge is confirmed, or remedial activities begun, after the day on which the petroleum system first met the upgrading requirements in rules promulgated by the department.
SPS 347.02(4)
(4) Eligible systems and excluded systems at the same site. SPS 347.02(4)(a)(a)
Three possible conditions. An owner or operator of a petroleum product storage system which is excluded by
sub. (3) (g) to
(j) from coverage is eligible for reimbursement from the fund for claims relating to other petroleum product storage systems at the same site, where one of the following conditions applies:
SPS 347.02(4)(a)1.
1. `Discharges are not commingled.' A discharge that predates the deadlines in
sub. (3) (g) to
(j) is documented as not commingled with any discharge excluded by
sub. (3) (g) to
(j).
SPS 347.02(4)(a)3.
3. `Replacement within the same tank bed.' A storage system that predates the deadlines in
sub. (3) (g) to
(j) has been replaced within the same tank bed or has been upgraded, subsequent to the deadlines in
sub. (3) (g) to
(j), and documentation cannot confirm whether a discharge there occurred before or after the deadlines.
SPS 347.02(4)(b)2.
2. Where
par. (a) 2. applies, the department will consider the two discharges to be one occurrence, and will apply a methodology of cost separation based on total tank volume, or based on other factors acceptable to the department.
SPS 347.02(4)(b)3.
3. Where
par. (a) 3. applies, 25 percent of the eligible costs may be reimbursed, after documentation is submitted to the department showing that all applicable tank closure and site assessment requirements in either
ch. SPS 310 or in preceding federal regulations were complied with, including the corresponding deadlines for performing that closure and assessment.
SPS 347.02 History
History: Cr.
Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; r. and recr.
Register, December, 1998, No. 516, eff. 1-1-99;
CR 04-058: cr. (4)
Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06; corrections in (1) (e) and (3) (h) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register February 2006 No. 602; correction in (1) (g), (2), (3) (g), (h), (4) (b) 3. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats.,
Register December 2011 No. 672.
SPS 347.025(1)(a)(a) If the department determines that the claimant meets all of the eligibility requirements of this chapter, the department shall determine a deductible amount and issue an award to reimburse the claimant for eligible costs incurred in a remediation.
SPS 347.025(1)(b)
(b) The department may not issue an award before all eligible costs have been incurred unless the department determines that the delay in issuing the award would cause a financial hardship to the owner, operator or the person owning a home oil tank system. The department may issue progress payments when sufficient evidence of completion of various activities, as specified in
ss. SPS 347.12 and
347.355 is received.
