The newest
offshoot of that program has been tagged "USTfields." It
refers to properties where underground tanks were used in ears past,
then abandoned. Just as with brownfields, EPA and many states are
working on programs to encourage cleanup and economic development
of these sites.
Well,
guess what? Missouri already has an USTfield program... We just didn't
know that's what it is called!
Since
HB251 passed in 1995, PSTIF has been paying to clean up contamination
from old, abandoned tanks. Payments for cleanup have been made for
104 USTfield sites - 48 of which are completely cleaned up - and funding
commitments have been made to 313 more.
That
means Missouri's USTfield program already has more than 400 success
stories, while other states are in the early stages of planning an
USTfield program. Cheers!
Legislature
Makes More Sites Eligible
A bill
passed on the last day of the 1999 legislative session expands PSTIF's
USTfields program. Persons who bought property prior to December 31,
1985 and who may have only recently discovered that the proerty formerly
had underground tanks on it, have another chance to add their property
to the list of sites eligible for Fund benefits.
The new
language says, "The Fund shall also provide moneys for cleanup
of contamination caused by releases from underground storage tanks
which contained petroleum and which have been taken out of use prior
to December 31, 1985, if the current owner of the real property where
the tanks are located purchased such property before December 31,
1985, if the current owner of the real property where the tanks are
located purchased such property before December 31, 1985, provided
such sites are reported tothe fund on or before June 30, 1000."
The Fund
is interpreting "current owner" to mean the person who owns
the property on or after August 28, 1999 (the date the new law went
into effect), and who owns it at the time the property is reported
to the Fund. If the property is subsequently sold, it remains eligible.
Anyone
who registered their tanks before December 31, 1997, or notified the
Fund or DNR of their property prior to that date, does NOT need to
re-notify under this new law in order to remain eligible.
New
Accounting System Speeds Payments
As announced,
the state of Missouri implemented a new accounting system on July
1. A procedural change triggered by the new software means faster
distribution of claim payments.
Checks
and letters from the Fund are no longer mailed together. Instead,
Fund participants and beneficiaries receive a letter explaining the
claim payment as soon as the decision is made. Then, a few days leter
the check is mailed directly from the state's computer center, eliminating
paperwork delays. Many claim checks are now being received less than
30 days from the date of initial claim submission.
The PSTIF
Board of Trustees continues its emphasis on professional, timely service
and welcomes suggestions at any time.
Fund
Regulations Finalized
A long
process of issuing regulations is nearing its end. The brand new PSTIF
regulations, issued by the Board of Trustees, appeared in the October
1 issue of the Missouri Register and will formally take effect on
November 30, 1999.
The most
significant change involves costs for resurfacing. Previously, all
resurfacing costs were ineligible. But the Board's Advisory Committee
took a strong position that the Fund should recognize resurfacing
costs which result from a cleanup, and recommended a chanage. The
Board agreed, and will now recognize certain costs for resurfacing
on a depreciated basis, or on the basis of the actual cash value of
the surface which existed immediately prior to the cleanup, if the
cleanup occurred on or after May 3, 1999.
AST
Rules
New regulations
affecting aboveground storage tanks, which were proposed last spring
by the Department of Agriculture's Division of Weights and Measures,
appeared in the same issue of the Missouri Register and will also
become effective on November 30.
By law,
AST owners must certify compliance with Department of Agriculture's
regulations in order to obtain or renew their PSTIF coverage.
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
John Boehm
Sam Carter
Gary D. Collins
Neal A. Gibbons, Sr.
Ron Hooker
Robert "Bob" Jackson
Steve Mahfood
Don Shaikewitz
Katherine "Katie" Wesselschmidt
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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