Current law directs the technical college system (TCS) board to administer, or contract for the administration of, the telecommunications retraining program. Under the program, which is funded by contributions from telecommunications companies, certain telecommunications industry workers are eligible to receive grants for retraining. The program expires at the end of the 1998-99 fiscal year.
This bill extends the expiration date of the program to June 30, 2000, and requires additional contributions from telecommunications companies if the telecommunications retraining board determines that additional contributions are necessary.
This bill directs the TCS board to produce an annual statewide guide containing information on all of the technical colleges and their programs and to distribute it to students, parents, high school personnel and others. For this purpose, the bill authorizes the board to use up to $125,000 of the amount appropriated each fiscal year as state aid for the technical colleges.
This bill directs the TCS board to award a grant in the 1999-2001 fiscal biennium to the Waukesha County Technical College for the development of its printing program.
Other educational and cultural agencies
Under current law, the educational communications board (ECB) is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the provision of public broadcasting to Wisconsin. In addition, the board of regents of the UW System, as licensee, must manage, operate and maintain a radio and television station and provide the ECB part-time use of equipment and space necessary for the operations of the state educational radio and television networks.
This bill directs the secretary of administration, the president of the UW System and one person chosen by the governor to draft and file articles of incorporation for a nonstock, nonprofit educational broadcasting corporation and to take all actions necessary to exempt the corporation from taxation under the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, these persons must prepare and submit to the joint committee on finance (JCF) for JCF's approval an operational plan for the corporation that includes a list of those persons employed by the board of regents and the ECB who are best-suited to provide educational broadcasting services for the corporation and an estimate of the level of funding necessary to cover the corporation's annual operating expenses.
The corporation is entitled to receive state aid for initial administrative expenses if its articles of incorporation state that the purpose of the corporation is to provide educational broadcasting to this state; the articles of incorporation name as initial directors the secretary of administration, two representatives to the assembly, two senators, a member of the board of regents and three individuals selected by the governor; and the initial board of directors of the corporation submits an application to the federal communications commission (FCC) to transfer all broadcasting licenses held by ECB and the board of regents to the corporation.
If the FCC approves the transfer of all broadcasting licenses held by the ECB and the board of regents to the corporation, the ECB is eliminated on the effective date of the transfer of the broadcasting licenses. In addition, the corporation is entitled to receive additional state aid for operational expenses if, among other things, the board of directors of the corporation offers employment beginning on the effective date of the transfer of all of the broadcasting licenses to those individuals designated in the operational plan; the board of directors of the corporation negotiates with the board of regents and the secretary of administration for the use of state-owned equipment and space necessary for the operations of educational radio and television networks; and the secretary of administration approves any amendment to the corporation's articles of incorporation or bylaws.
This bill requires DOA to prepare a report on the privatization of state-owned and state-leased communications towers that are used for public broadcasting, except for the Milwaukee Area Technical College tower. The report must include a plan for implementing privatization. No later than June 30, 2000, DOA must submit the report to JCF for its approval.
Under current law, the public service commission (PSC) requires certain telecommunications providers to make contributions to the universal service fund. Moneys in the fund must be used for programs administered by the PSC for programs to promote universal access to telecommunications services and affordable access to high-quality education, library and health care information services, including a program for providing institutions with support payments for certain telecommunications services (institutional assistance program), and for certain other PSC programs. In addition, the fund is used for certain programs administered by the TEACH board, including an educational telecommunications access program for providing data lines and video links to certain educational institutions.
This bill eliminates the requirement for the PSC to use moneys in the fund to promote affordable access to high-quality education, library and health care information services. The bill also transfers the institutional assistance program to the TEACH board, which must provide support payments to eligible institutions as determined by the PSC. In addition, all of the PSC's duties regarding the educational telecommunications access program, except the PSC's duties regarding requiring telecommunications providers to contribute to the fund, are transferred to the TEACH board.
Under this bill, federated and consolidated public library systems and the Wisconsin Schools for the Visually Handicapped and the Deaf may also participate in the educational telecommunications access program. The bill allows any educational agency that participates in the program to obtain access to more than one data line if it can show to the satisfaction of the TEACH board that the additional lines are more cost-effective than a single line. An educational agency that obtains access to a data line under the program may enter into a shared service agreement with a city, village, town or county (political subdivision) that provides the political subdivision with access to any excess bandwidth on the data line that the educational institution does not use. A political subdivision that obtains access to bandwidth may not receive compensation for providing access to the bandwidth to any other person and no moneys from the universal service fund may be used to pay installation costs that are necessary to provide a political subdivision with access to the bandwidth. The bill also prohibits an educational agency from requesting access to an additional data line under the program for the purpose of providing a political subdivision with access to excess bandwidth and from providing access to a data line under the program to a private business entity.
Current law directs the TEACH board to award educational technology training and technical assistance grants, on a competitive basis, to CESAs and to consortia consisting of two or more school districts or CESAs, or of one or more school districts or CESAs and one or more public library boards. This bill requires that at least one of these grants be awarded annually to an applicant located in the territory of each CESA. The bill also directs the TEACH board, beginning in the 2000-01 fiscal year, to award at least one grant in each fiscal year to an educational organization or consortium of educational organizations for the development and implementation of a foreign language instruction program in a public school in grades kindergarten to six.
Under current law, the Wisconsin Advanced Telecommunications Foundation provides funding for certain advanced telecommunications technology application projects and for efforts to educate telecommunications users about advanced telecommunications services. This bill allows the TEACH board to contract with the foundation to provide administrative services to the foundation.
Under current law, the educational approval board (EAB), which is attached to the higher educational aids board (HEAB), approves and supervises education and training of veterans under certain programs under federal law. EAB also regulates certain schools, including certain proprietary schools, and the solicitation of students by such schools.
This bill eliminates EAB and transfers its functions regarding veterans' education and training to the department of veterans affairs. The bill transfers all of the other functions of EAB to HEAB. The bill creates an educational approval council to advise HEAB in carrying out its duties.
Currently, under the Wisconsin higher education grant program, HEAB awards grants to postsecondary resident students enrolled at least halftime in accredited higher education institutions in this state. Students at tribal colleges are not eligible for grants under the program. HEAB is required to promulgate rules establishing policies and procedures for determining dependent and independent student status and calculating expected parental and student contributions under the program. Current law specifies a method for HEAB to award these grants to dependent students. HEAB also administers the tuition grant program for students enrolled at accredited, nonprofit, post-high school educational institutions and tribal colleges. In addition, HEAB administers an Indian assistance grant program to assist those Indian students who are residents of this state to receive a higher education. Grants under the Indian assistance grant program are based on financial need. One-half of each such grant is paid by the state with general purpose revenue; the other half is contributed by Indian tribes or bands.
Under this bill, students at tribal colleges are eligible for grants under the Wisconsin higher education grant program, but not for grants under the tuition grant program. The bill appropriates money derived from the Indian gaming receipts to pay for the grants awarded to tribal college students under the Wisconsin higher education grant program and to pay the state's share of each grant under the Indian assistance grant program. In addition, the bill eliminates the requirement for HEAB to promulgate rules regarding student status and expected contributions under the Wisconsin higher education grant program, as well as the method specified for awarding grants to dependent students. The bill requires instead that HEAB award grants under the Wisconsin higher education program based on a formula that accounts for expected parental and student contributions.
Currently, HEAB administers the academic excellence higher education scholarship program that awards scholarships, for up to four years of study, to certain students enrolled at participating institutions of higher education in this state who had the highest grade point averages in their high schools. This bill specifies that this program and its scholarship recipients must be referred to as the governor's scholarship program and governor's scholars, respectively, in all printed material disseminated or otherwise distributed by HEAB.
The state currently appropriates money to the state historical society from the conservation fund for interpretive programming at the Northern Great Lakes Center. This bill designates the Northern Great Lakes Center as a historic site. The bill appropriates money derived from the Indian gaming receipts for the operation of the Northern Great Lakes Center historic site. The appropriation from the conservation fund is not eliminated.
The state currently appropriates general purpose revenue to the arts board to award grants to individuals and groups concerned with the arts and to contract with individuals, organizations, units of government and institutions for services furthering the development of the arts and the humanities. This bill appropriates money derived from the Indian gaming receipts for such grants awarded to, and such contracts entered into with, American Indian individuals, groups, organizations, tribal governments and institutions.
This bill appropriates money to the Medical College of Wisconsin for the study and prevention of tobacco-related illnesses.
eminent domain
Under current law, any municipality, board, commission, public officer or corporation that is authorized to acquire property by condemnation and that acquires property either by purchase or by condemnation, and any entity that carries out a program or project with public financial assistance that causes any person to move or to move his or her personal property, must provide relocation benefits to persons displaced by the program or project. Relocation benefits include moving expenses, replacement housing payments and business or farm replacement payments.
This bill eliminates the authority of the department of natural resources (DNR) to acquire property by condemnation. The bill also provides that if DNR carries out a program or project that causes a person to move or to move his or her personal property, DNR is not required to provide relocation benefits. Under the federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act, however, a person is eligible for relocation benefits specified under the federal law if a state agency (including DNR) carries out a program or project with federal financial assistance.
Finally, the bill authorizes the building commission, at the request of DNR, to acquire property by condemnation for any public purpose. Under current law, the eminent domain authority of the building commission is limited to the acquisition of land that it deems necessary for a site for Madison downtown state office facilities. If the building commission acquires property at DNR's request, whether by condemnation or purchase, it is required to provide relocation benefits.
Under current law, a property owner whose property has been partially condemned for a sewer or transportation facility must pay property taxes in the year of the condemnation for both the condemnee's remaining property and the portion of the property that was awarded to the condemnor. Current law also provides that, in a partial condemnation, the portion of the condemnee's current property tax obligation that applies to the condemnee's remaining property must be subtracted from the award of compensation for the taking. To recover both the condemnor's and the condemnee's prorated share of property taxes, the condemnee must file a claim with the condemnor.
This bill provides that, if the property owner retains a majority interest in the property after the condemnation, the condemnor may choose not to subtract the condemnee's prorated taxes from the award payment and may include the condemnor's prorated taxes in the award payment, thereby eliminating the need for the condemnee to file a claim with the condemnor.
Employment
Current law requires the division of connecting education and work in the department of workforce development (DWD) to administer the youth apprenticeship and school-to-work programs provided by DWD under the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. Under the youth apprenticeship program, DWD must approve occupations and develop curricula for youth apprenticeship programs, and may award training grants to employers that provide on-the-job training and supervision for youth apprentices. Under the school-to-work program, DWD must approve statewide skill standards. Also under current law, DWD may award grants to nonprofit corporations and public agencies for the provision of career counseling centers that provide youths with career education and job training information and that assist youths in locating apprenticeship and other work experience opportunities that are related to the youth's education.
This bill eliminates the division of connecting education and work in DWD, creates a governor's work-based learning board attached to DWD and transfers to that board the administration of the youth apprenticeship, school-to-work and career counseling center programs. The bill transfers to the technical college system board the responsibility for developing youth apprenticeship curricula, subject to the approval of the governor's work-based learning board. Under the bill, the governor's work-based learning board is also responsible for administering a study grant program created under the bill for high school graduates who meet or exceed a grade point average determined by the governor's work-based learning board and who enroll in a technical college within one year after high school graduation, and a work-based learning program created under the bill for youths who are eligible to receive federal temporary assistance for needy families.
The bill also directs the governor's work-based learning board to award grants to local partnerships for the implementation and coordination of local youth apprenticeship programs. The bill defines a local partnership as one or more school districts, or any combination of one or more school districts, other public agencies, nonprofit organizations, individuals or other persons, who have agreed to be responsible for implementing and coordinating a local youth apprenticeship program. A local partnership that is awarded a grant may use the grant moneys to recruit employers and students to participate in the program; coordinate academic, vocational and occupational learning, school-based and work-based learning and secondary and postsecondary education for participants in the program; assist employers in identifying and training workplace mentors; and perform any other implementation or coordination activity that the governor's work-based learning board may direct or permit the local partnership to perform.
Under current law, the state superintendent of public instruction may award a grant to a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee County that is providing an innovative school-to-work program for children at risk (children who are behind their age group in the number of high school credits attained or in basic skill levels and who are dropouts, habitual truants, parents or adjudicated delinquents) to assist those children in acquiring employability skills and occupation-specific competencies before leaving high school. This bill transfers to the governor's work-based learning board the responsibility for awarding that grant.
Under current law, the Wisconsin employment relations commission (WERC) must collect fees from parties who request WERC services relating to labor disputes involving fact-finding, mediation or arbitration. This bill requires that WERC collect a fee from any party who requests that WERC assemble a panel of individuals who are not members or employes of WERC to act as an arbitrator to resolve a dispute involving the interpretation or application of a collective bargaining agreement.
Environment
Hazardous substances and environmental cleanup
Requirement to clean up hazardous substance spills
Current law generally requires a person who possesses or controls a hazardous substance that is discharged or who causes the discharge of a hazardous substance to restore the environment to the extent practicable and to minimize the harmful effects of the discharge on the environment. Courts have held that a person possesses or controls any hazardous substance that is present on property that the person owns. Current law generally exempts a local governmental unit (a city, village, town, county, redevelopment authority and housing authority) from these clean-up requirements with respect to hazardous substance discharges on land acquired in specified ways, such as through tax delinquency proceedings or condemnation.
This bill requires local governmental units to agree to provide access to land that is subject to the exemption for the purpose of letting someone else conduct a cleanup of the discharge. The bill also expands the local governmental exemption from the clean-up requirements in a number of ways:
1. The bill makes community development authorities eligible for the exemption.
2. Under current law, the local governmental unit exemption from clean-up requirements is not available if the discharge is from an underground petroleum storage tank. This bill eliminates that limitation.
3. The bill applies the exemption to land acquired with funds from this state's stewardship program, land acquired through escheat and land acquired from another local governmental unit that is entitled to the exemption. Land is acquired through escheat when the owner dies without a will that disposes of the land and without any heir.
4. The bill exempts a local governmental unit from the requirement to clean up a hazardous substance that has migrated from a property acquired in one of the specified ways to another property.
The bill also exempts a local governmental unit that has acquired property in one of the specified ways from certain requirements relating to hazardous waste if the hazardous waste is cleaned up, DNR approves the cleanup and other conditions are satisfied.
Under current law, a lender who acquires land through enforcement of a security interest is not liable for a discharge of a hazardous substance on that land if certain requirements are satisfied. This bill requires a lender to provide access to the land on which the discharge occurred for the purpose of letting someone else conduct a cleanup of the hazardous substance. Under current law, the lender-liability exemption is not available if the discharge is from an underground petroleum storage tank. This bill makes the lender-liability exemption available if the discharge is from an underground petroleum storage tank.
Exemption from clean-up requirement for voluntary parties
Under current law, any person, except for a person who intentionally or recklessly caused the original discharge of a hazardous substance on a property, is called a voluntary party. A voluntary party is exempt from absolute requirements to restore the environment and minimize the harmful effects of the discharge, and from the requirements of other laws relating to hazardous substances, if an environmental investigation of the property is conducted and approved by the department of natural resources (DNR), the property is cleaned up, DNR certifies that the cleanup restored the environment and minimized the harmful effects of the discharge and the voluntary party maintains and monitors the property as required by DNR. This exemption applies even if later changes to the law impose greater responsibilities on the voluntary party or if it is discovered that the cleanup failed to fully restore the environment or to minimize the harmful effects of the discharge.
Under this bill, any person, including a person who intentionally or recklessly caused the discharge of a hazardous substance, is eligible for the voluntary party exemption under the conditions described above. The bill authorizes DNR to require a voluntary party to obtain insurance to cover the cost of a cleanup in case the initial cleanup fails.
The bill also specifies that the voluntary party exemption applies only with respect to hazardous substances released on the property before DNR approves the environmental investigation of the property. In order to qualify for the voluntary party exemption, the bill requires that both the voluntary party's property and any other property affected by a discharge originating from that property be cleaned up. Once DNR approves the cleanup, the voluntary party is exempt from further clean-up requirements on both the voluntary party's own property and any other property affected by a discharge originating from that property.
Under current law, a person is exempt from the requirements to restore the environment and minimize the effects of the discharge of a hazardous substance on the environment with respect to the existence of a hazardous substance in groundwater on property possessed or controlled by the person if the discharge originated from a source off of the property, the person agrees to allow access to the property so that someone else can conduct a cleanup and the person agrees to any other condition necessary to ensure that an adequate cleanup can be conducted.
Under this bill, for a property affected by an off-site discharge that has contaminated the groundwater and by discharges of other hazardous substances, a voluntary party is exempt from absolute requirements to restore the environment and minimize the harmful effects of the discharges, and from the requirements of other laws relating to hazardous substances, if: 1) an environmental investigation of the property is conducted and approved by DNR; 2) the property is cleaned up, except with respect to the discharge that originated off-site; 3) DNR certifies that the cleanup restored the environment and minimized the harmful effects of the discharge, except with respect to the discharge that originated off-site; 4) DNR determines in writing that the voluntary party qualifies for the off-site exemption; and 5) the voluntary party maintains and monitors the property as required by DNR.
Currently, a person may be allowed to use natural attenuation to clean up a hazardous substance in groundwater if DNR determines that natural attenuation will bring the groundwater into compliance with groundwater standards within a reasonable period. "Natural attenuation" means the reduction in the amount and concentration of a substance in groundwater that occurs because of natural processes.
Under this bill, if groundwater on a property is contaminated by a hazardous substance in a concentration that exceeds a groundwater standard and DNR determines that natural attenuation will restore groundwater quality, a voluntary party is exempt from absolute requirements to restore the environment and minimize the harmful effects of the discharges, and from the requirements of other laws relating to hazardous substances, if: 1) an environmental investigation of the property is conducted and approved by DNR; 2) the property is cleaned up, except with respect to the substance for which DNR approves natural attenuation; 3) DNR certifies that the cleanup restored the environment and minimized the harmful effects of the discharge, except with respect to the substance for which DNR approves natural attenuation; 4) the voluntary party maintains and monitors the property as required by DNR; and 5) if required by DNR, the voluntary party obtains insurance to cover the cost of a cleanup in case natural attenuation fails.
Under this bill, a voluntary party is exempt from the requirements to clean up any hazardous substance discharge on a property that is discovered after two environmental investigations have been conducted and approved by DNR with respect to the property if the voluntary party has obtained insurance to cover the clean-up costs.
Petroleum storage remedial action
Under current law, the department of commerce administers a program to reimburse owners of certain petroleum product storage tanks for a portion of the costs of cleaning up discharges from those tanks. This program is commonly known as PECFA.
This bill authorizes the department of commerce to issue revenue obligations, to be paid from revenues deposited in the petroleum inspection fund, to fund the payment of claims under the PECFA program. Revenue obligations issued under this bill may not exceed $450,000,000 in principal amount. See STATE GOVERNMENT, STATE FINANCE.
Under current law, the department of revenue (DOR) collects a petroleum inspection fee of three cents per gallon on petroleum products that are received for sale in this state. The fee is deposited in the petroleum inspection fund and is used to fund PECFA as well as various other programs.
This bill requires the department of commerce to change the amount of the petroleum inspection fee under specified conditions. If the amount of unpaid PECFA claims, as of June 30 of an odd-numbered year, exceeds $10,000,000, the department must increase the fee, effective the following April 1, as necessary to increase annual revenues by the amount by which unpaid claims exceed $10,000,000. If the balance in the petroleum inspection fund on June 30 of an odd-numbered year exceeds $10,000,000 and no PECFA revenue bonds are outstanding, the department must reduce the fee, effective the following April 1, as necessary to reduce annual revenues by $5,000,000 or the amount by which the balance in the fund exceeds $10,000,000, whichever is greater.
Currently, PECFA reimburses applicants for interest costs incurred in financing a cleanup, but that reimbursement is limited to interest at 1% over the prime rate. Under this bill, PECFA does not reimburse interest costs incurred by an applicant in financing a cleanup if the applicant has annual gross revenues in excess of $20,000,000. For other applicants, the PECFA interest reimbursement is limited to interest at 5%. The limits on interest reimbursements apply to interest incurred after October 31, 1999, on claims filed after October 31, 1999.
Under current law, DNR generally may order a responsible person to conduct a cleanup of a hazardous substance that has been discharged into the environment and may oversee the cleanup. However, under current law, the department of commerce may order and oversee cleanups of certain discharges from petroleum product storage tanks. The department of commerce has authority over cleanups if the site of the discharge is classified as low or medium priority based on the threat that the discharge poses to public health, safety and welfare and to the environment and if the site is not contaminated by nonpetroleum hazardous substances. Current law requires DNR and the department of commerce to enter into a memorandum of understanding that establishes procedures and standards for determining whether a site is high, medium or low priority. Under this state's groundwater law, DNR and the department of health and family services set enforcement standards. An enforcement standard represents a concentration of a substance in groundwater.
This bill requires the department of commerce to establish the standards for categorizing sites of petroleum product discharges by rule, rather than by memorandum of understanding. The bill requires the department of commerce and DNR to attempt to agree on the standards. The bill prohibits the departments from providing, in those standards, that all sites at which a groundwater enforcement standard has been exceeded are high priority. The bill also requires the departments to design the standards to classify no more than 50% of sites as high priority. If the departments cannot agree on the standards, the secretary of administration must resolve the disagreement.
Under PECFA, the owner of a petroleum product storage tank may receive an award for the amount by which the cost of the cleanup exceeds a deductible amount, up to a specified maximum. The current maximum for underground tanks varies from $100,000 for small farm tanks to $1,000,000 for tanks located at a facility at which petroleum is stored for resale and tanks that handle an average of more than 10,000 gallons of petroleum per month.
This bill changes the maximum PECFA award for any underground petroleum product storage tank to $100,000 if the site of the discharge from the tank is classified as medium priority or low priority under the classification system promulgated by rule by the department of commerce. The change in the maximum PECFA award applies to PECFA claims for which remedial action plans are approved after November 30, 1999.
Currently, the PECFA deductible for underground tanks is generally $2,500 plus 5% of eligible costs, but not more than $7,500, except that the deductible for heating oil tanks owned by school districts and technical college districts is 25% of eligible costs.
This bill changes the PECFA deductible amount for certain underground petroleum product storage tanks. Under this bill, the deductible for an underground petroleum product storage tank that is located at a facility at which petroleum is stored for resale or an underground petroleum product storage tank that handles an annual average of more than 10,000 gallons of petroleum per month is $10,000, plus $2,500 if the eligible costs exceed $50,000, plus $2,500 more if eligible costs exceed $80,000, plus $10,000 more for each whole $100,000 by which eligible costs exceed $150,000, except that the department of commerce may, by rule, exempt a class of owners and operators from this higher deductible.
The bill also changes the PECFA deductible amount for aboveground storage tanks located at terminals from $15,000 plus 5% of the amount by which eligible costs exceed $200,000 to $15,000 plus 15% of the amount by which eligible costs exceed $200,000. A terminal is a facility that is connected to a petroleum pipeline.
This bill authorizes the department of commerce to promulgate rules for assigning award priorities to cleanups under PECFA, except for cleanups of discharges from home heating oil tanks, small farm tanks and heating oil tanks owned by school districts. If the department promulgates the rules, it must pay PECFA awards, for cleanups that begin after the rules take effect, in order of the award priorities under the rules. The bill requires the department to inform the owner or operator of a petroleum product storage tank of the date on which it is appropriate to begin a cleanup, based on when the department estimates funding will be available for an award for the cleanup. The bill authorizes an owner or operator to delay beginning a cleanup until the date that the department determines it is appropriate to begin the cleanup. The bill also authorizes the department to deny PECFA reimbursement for interest costs if an owner or operator begins a cleanup before the appropriate beginning date as determined by the department.
This bill authorizes the department of commerce to require a person to pay a fee as a condition of submitting a bid to provide a service for a cleanup under PECFA. If the department of commerce imposes a fee, the department may purchase, or provide funding for the purchase of, insurance to cover the amount by which the costs of conducting a cleanup exceed the amount bid to conduct the cleanup.
This bill requires the department of commerce and DNR to report information every six months about petroleum product cleanups that are in progress.
Dry cleaner environmental response program
Under current law, DNR administers the dry cleaner environmental response program, under which owners and operators of dry cleaning facilities are reimbursed a portion of the costs incurred in cleaning up a discharge of dry cleaning solvent. This program is funded, in part, by dry cleaning license, solvent and inventory fees that are paid by owners and operators of dry cleaning facilities. As a condition of receiving reimbursement, owners and operators of closed dry cleaning facilities must pay annually for 30 years the average yearly dry cleaning license fee and an amount equal to the total amount collected as annual dry cleaning solvent fees divided by the number of operating dry cleaning facilities for that year. These required fees are in addition to the deductible owners and operators must pay before receiving a reimbursement.
This bill eliminates the requirement that operators of closed dry cleaning facilities pay annual fees for 30 years. Instead, the bill requires owners of dry cleaning facilities to pay as part of the deductible an amount equal to 30 times the average license fee for the year in which the reimbursement is made and an amount equal to 30 times the total collected as solvent fees divided by the number of operating dry cleaning facilities for the year. This bill also increases the deductible for closed facilities when eligible costs exceed $200,000.
Currently, financing costs are reimbursable costs under the dry cleaner environmental response program. This bill excludes financing costs from reimbursable costs under the program.
Under current law, the first priority for reimbursement under the dry cleaner environmental response program is reimbursement for immediate action activities (activities taken within a short time after a discharge occurs or after a discharge is discovered). After reimbursements for immediate action activities, DNR is required to give highest priority to paying reimbursements for eligible costs incurred before October 14, 1997.
This bill requires DNR each year, after paying reimbursements for immediate action activities, to make a specified portion of the funds available to pay reimbursements for eligible costs incurred before October 14, 1997, and to use the rest of the funds to pay reimbursements for costs incurred on or after October 14, 1997.
This bill requires applicants under the dry cleaner environmental response program to notify DNR of insurance claims made for the costs of cleanup of a dry cleaner solvent spill and to disclose the amount of insurance proceeds received. The bill also requires applicants to notify DNR if they intend to file suit against an insurance company to recover clean-up costs and allows DNR to join a private suit filed by an applicant against an insurance company for the purpose of recovering clean-up costs.
Under the dry cleaner environmental response program, the owners of certain dry cleaning facilities are eligible for reimbursement for the costs of preliminary site screening and interim remedial equipment to begin the cleanup of dry cleaning discharges before the completion of full site investigations and cleanup plans. The reimbursement for preliminary site screening and interim equipment may not exceed $15,000, of which not more than $2,500 may be for the preliminary site screening.
Under this bill, the reimbursement for preliminary site screening and interim remedial equipment is 50% of the eligible costs, but not more than $20,000, of which not more than $3,000 may be for the cost of the preliminary site screening.
The dry cleaner environmental response program is currently funded from the dry cleaner environmental response fund, a segregated fund. Under current law, DNR is authorized under certain circumstances to fund cleanups of hazardous substance discharges from the environmental fund, another segregated fund.
Under this bill, if DNR funds a cleanup of a discharge of dry cleaning solvent from the environmental fund, DNR must transfer from the dry cleaner environmental response fund to the environmental fund an amount equal to the amount expended from the environmental fund for the cleanup. DNR must make the transfer when it determines that sufficient funds are available.
Other hazardous substances and environmental cleanup
This bill authorizes a local governmental unit to recover costs it incurs in cleaning up a property on which a hazardous substance has been discharged if the local governmental unit acquired the property in one of several specified ways, including through tax delinquency proceedings or condemnation. The local governmental unit may recover the costs from a person who possessed or controlled the hazardous substance at the time that the local governmental unit acquired the property or who caused the discharge of the hazardous substance, unless the person is exempt from the requirement to clean up the property under the hazardous substances spills law.
This bill creates a brownfields site assessment grant program to be administered by DNR. Under the program, cities, villages, towns, counties, redevelopment authorities, community development authorities and housing authorities may apply for a grant to conduct preliminary clean-up activities at brownfield sites. The grants specifically cover the costs of investigating environmental contamination, demolishing structures and removing abandoned containers and asbestos. Applicants who receive a grant under the program must contribute matching funds equal to 20% of the grant and are required to pay back the grant if they receive a loan under the land recycling loan program to conduct the same clean-up activities.
Currently, under the land recycling loan program, this state provides loans to cities, villages, towns and counties (political subdivisions) for projects to remedy environmental contamination at sites owned by political subdivisions where the environmental contamination has affected, or threatens to affect, groundwater or surface water. The loans are provided at subsidized interest rates.
This bill provides that recipients of loans under the land recycling loan program are not required to pay any interest. The bill also makes redevelopment authorities and housing authorities eligible for loans under the program.
The budget act for each fiscal biennium establishes the present value of the subsidies that may be provided under the land recycling loan program during that fiscal biennium. This bill sets the present value of the land recycling loan program subsidies that may be provided during the 1999-2001 fiscal biennium at $9,400,000.
Under current law, the department of commerce regulates tanks that store flammable and combustible liquids. This bill requires the department of commerce also to regulate tanks that store liquids that are considered hazardous substances under the federal Superfund Act. Under current law, the department of commerce collects a $100 groundwater fee for plan review and approval for tanks that store flammable and combustible liquids and that have a capacity of 1,000 gallons or more. Under this bill, the groundwater fee also applies to plan review of tanks that store liquids that are considered hazardous substances under the federal Superfund Act and that have a capacity of 1,000 gallons or more.
