This
action means the Board of Trustees will be re-evaluating its projected
revenues and liabilities in order to determine how much additional
revenue is needed. It will also be reconsidering the "hold" previously
placed on new remedial claims (see April 2000 issue of Latest Leaks).
The bill
also requires the Board to commission an independent audit every year
and an actuarial study every other year.
Governor
Holden must sign the bill by July 14 in order for it to become law.
A copy of the legislation is available at www.moga.state.mo.us,
or by calling 573-522-2352.
PSTIF
expresses its appreciation to all who helped educate legislators about
the program, and persuaded them to enact this bill. It wouldn't have
happened without you!
Insure
Your ASTs!
HB453
also eliminates the requirement that aboveground storage tank site
owners submit their Spill Protection, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC)
Plan to PSTIF in order to get insurance. If you have postponed getting
your AST sites insured because of this requirement, call us now for
an application form!
Advisory
Committee to Meet
The PSTIF
Advisory Committee will meet on June 27 to discuss several items of
interest. Included on the agenda are: Review of HB453, Discussion
of "Tail Coverage," Consideration of Time Limit for Claim Submittals,
DNR's proposed AST Rules, Enforcement of Financial Responsibility
Requirements, and an Update on DNR's Closure Guidance Document and
Risk-Based Corrective Action Procedures.
The Advisory
Committee is appointed by the Board of Trustees to provide advice
and recommendations to the Board on the management and operation of
the Fund. Meetings are open to the public.
Alert!
Payment Hiatus
The State
of Missouri has imposed a moratorium on the issuance of checks for
approximately two weeks, beginning in late June and lasting until
about July 9. This means PSTIF will be unable to issue any claim checks
during this period of time.
Please
be patient…. We have no control over this, and no way to work around
it!
Saving
Money Takes Time
In an
effort to make certain all options are thoroughly considered, PSTIF
has recently been more diligent in asking property owners and their
consultants to evaluate remediation alternatives. In addition, DNR's
Tanks Section is working with PSTIF and several property owners to
evaluate whether there is a need for further action at some sites
by scientifically evaluating risks.
This
means we will not always agree to pay for a huge "dig and haul" project,
or a long-term groundwater monitoring plan, without asking an environmental
professional to evaluate risks, options and costs. In some cases,
this means taking more time to analyze the situation, rather than
firing up the backhoe and digging quickly. Please understand - Our
purpose is to make sure your money is wisely spent.
How
Old Are Your Liners?
If your
underground tanks were lined to meet the 1998 upgrade standards, remember
the linings must be checked ten years after the lining was installed
and every five years thereafter. If your tank lining is coming up
on its 10th, 15th or 20th birthday, PSTIF will require documentation
that the liner has been checked when your insurance coverage is renewed.
Don't wait too long to schedule the work…. Lining inspectors typically
will not enter a tank if it is too cold.
Speaking
of Schedules…
The cathodic
protection system on underground tanks or lines must be checked by
a qualified cathodic protection tester every three years. We'll be
asking for that paperwork also…
Did
You Know?
You know
all those pesky reporting and record keeping requirements that tank
owners and operators have to worry about? Like keeping a record of
cathodic protection system logs, maintaining leak detection records,
keeping records verifying that your line leak detectors have been
checked annually, reporting releases when they occur, notifying the
state when you plan to remove tanks, registering new tanks, etc.,
etc.? You'll be glad to know the US EPA has actually published an
estimate of how much it costs tank owners to comply with all those
requirements…..$666 million annually!
PSTIF
Inspections
PSTIF
inspectors will be out this summer checking a random sample of the
UST and AST sites insured by the Fund. Be sure you are keeping your
spill buckets clean, checking and maintaining your tanks and lines
regularly, and keeping all those zillions of records handy!
DNR
to Issue Certificates of Registration
The Department
of Natural Resources has announced it will begin issuing new Certificates
of Registration to UST owners in June. The department is required
to issue Certificates of Registration for all underground tanks that
are operating in compliance with state law. To receive a certificate,
a tank owner:
1. Must
meet '98 upgrade requirements and have working leak detection systems;
2. Must
have adequate financial responsibility in case of release;
3. Must have paid registration fees; and
4.
Must have no outstanding tank-related enforcement issues.
Owners
who are in compliance but who do not receive certificates this year
should not worry! Getting all sites certified will take two more years,
enough time to get all sites inspected. In June 2002, the department
will issue another round of certificates and in June 2003, a third
round. Only after June 2003 and providing an opportunity for owners
to get their tanks into compliance, will the department consider denying
certificates.
After
a certificate is issued for a tank, the department has authority to
revoke it for noncompliance. The owner has appeal rights and the department
must inform the owner of those rights when it denies or revokes a
certificate. If the denial or revocation of a certificate stands,
after appeal, the owner cannot operate the tank or participate in
PSTIF.
Attention
Consultants:
Excellent
information on sampling and characterization techniques, innovative
cleanup approaches, and cleanup technologies are available at http://clu-in.org.
There are even free seminars available. The web site is maintained
by US EPA. Check it out!
Bureaucracies?
"Bureaucracies
love to focus inward. It's not that they dislike customers; they just
don't find them as interesting as themselves…. The allure of bureaucracy
is part of human nature and hard to resist, and it can return in the
blink of an eye. Bureaucracy frustrates people, distorts their priorities,
limits their dreams and turns the face of the entire enterprise inward."
(Quote from the 2000 Annual Report of General Electric Company.)
If you
catch us behaving like a bureaucracy, let us know!
Latest
Leaks is a newsletter of the Missouri Petroleum Storage Tank
Insurance Fund.
Board
of Trustees
William
"Bart" Creech III, Chairman
Bob Abernathy, Vice Chairman
Judith W. Baker
Sam Carter
Gary D. Collins
James P. Ford
Neal A. Gibbons, Sr.
Ron Hooker
Robert "Bob" Jackson
Steve Mahfood
Joyce Murphy
Executive
Director
Carol R. Eighmey
PO Box 836
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-522-2352
Third
Party Administrator
Williams & Company Consulting, Inc.
1-800-765-2765
Send
address changes to:
PSTIF, PO Box 104116
Jefferson City, MO 65110
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