NR 747.40NR 747.40 Reimbursement and credentials. Remedial consulting services and activities performed by individuals and firms who do not have the applicable credentials under ss. SPS 305.80 and 305.81 to participate in the PECFA program may not be reimbursed under the scope of this chapter unless the department determines that denying the reimbursement would conflict with achieving the goals of the PECFA program. NR 747.41NR 747.41 Laboratories and drilling firms. NR 747.41(1)(a)(a) As of March 1, 1994, all laboratories performing work under the PECFA program shall obtain and maintain errors and omissions (professional liability) coverage of no less than $1,000,000 per claim, $1,000,000 annual aggregate and a deductible of no more than $100,000 per claim. NR 747.41(1)(b)(b) As of March 1, 1994, all drilling firms performing work under the PECFA program shall obtain and maintain general liability coverage, including pollution impairment liability, of no less than $1,000,000 per claim, $1,000,000 annual aggregate and a deductible of no more than $100,000 per claim. NR 747.41(2)(2) Coverage. The insurance obtained by laboratory and drilling firms shall cover work performed under PECFA on or after March 1, 1994. For all laboratory and drilling firms included in a claim, a certificate or certificates verifying the existence of the insurance coverage as specified in sub. (1), shall be submitted with the PECFA claim. NR 747.41(3)(3) Rating. The insurance coverage shall be provided by a firm that has an A.M. Best rating of at least “A-”. NR 747.41(4)(4) Alternate mechanisms. A laboratory or drilling firm may request the department’s approval of an alternate mechanism for meeting the requirement of the maximum deductible of $100,000 per claim. The department shall review the request and determine whether the mechanism meets the requirement of the rule. NR 747.41 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; CR 04-058: renum. from Comm 47.415 Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06. NR 747.42NR 747.42 Field and financial audits. NR 747.42(1)(1) General. The department shall routinely investigate remediation sites to establish that the remediation is appropriate and that costs incurred reflect the remediation services and activities. NR 747.42(2)(2) Applicability. The department may conduct field and financial audits as deemed necessary in order to further the goals of the PECFA program. Activities which may warrant the conduct of a field or financial audit may include, but not be limited to, the following: NR 747.42(2)(e)(e) Receipt of additional information which may result in modifying the initial determination of eligibility; NR 747.42 NoteNote: Defrauding the PECFA program may result in revocation or suspension of credentials issued under ch. SPS 305, and criminal prosecutions under chs. 939 and 943, Stats. NR 747.42(3)(a)(a) General. All consultants and consulting firms registered to participate, all organizations and individuals, including but not limited to service providers and others who perform remedial action services, all owners, operators, and persons owning home oil tank systems who file or attempt to file a claim under the PECFA program shall maintain records relevant to a claim for 6 years after claim submittal and make available upon request of the department, all financial and work records deemed by the department as necessary to support or investigate a claim or attempted claim. NR 747.42(3)(b)(b) Penalties. Penalties for violations of this section shall be established in accordance with s. 292.63 (10), Stats. NR 747.42 NoteNote: Section 292.63 (10), Stats., reads as follows: “PENALTIES. (a) Any owner or operator, person owning a home oil tank system or service provider who fails to maintain a record as required by rules promulgated under sub. (9) (a) may be required to forfeit not more than $2000. Each day of continued violation constitutes a separate offense. NR 747.42 Note(b) Any owner or operator, person owning a home oil tank system or service provider who intentionally destroys a document that is relevant to a claim for reimbursement under this section is guilty of a Class G felony.”
NR 747.42(3)(c)(c) Notification of work performed. The department may, at its request, require consultants and consulting firms registered to participation and all organizations and individuals who perform remedial action services and all owners, operators and persons owning home oil tank systems to notify the department no less than 10 calendar days in advance of any work being performed at a site or sites. NR 747.42(3)(d)(d) Parallel sampling requirement. At the request of the department, consultants or firms registered to participate or organizations or individuals who perform remedial action services shall, as directed by the department, take soil or groundwater samples and submit these samples to a laboratory specified by the department. The cost of preparing and submitting these samples shall be an eligible cost to the PECFA program independent of any cost cap or cost estimate. The laboratory reports, for requested samples, shall be sent to the department directly from the specified laboratory. The cost of the laboratory analysis shall be paid by the owner and submitted as part of the PECFA claim. NR 747.42 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; CR 04-058: am. (2) (g) and (3) (a), r. (3) (b), renum. (3) (c) to (e) to be (3) (b) to (d) and am. (3) (b) Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06; correction in (3) (b) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2013 No. 694. NR 747.50NR 747.50 Notifying the department of real estate transactions. NR 747.50(1)(1) Property transfer or lease. The owner or operator or person owning a home oil tank system shall notify the department of any real estate transaction affecting the ownership or operation of a remediation site. NR 747.50(2)(2) Real estate sales agreement or lease affecting responsibility for the remediation. The sales agreement or a lease for a property being transferred or leased prior to the completion of a remediation shall identify the party or parties responsible for the completion of the remediation, responsible for the payment of costs and eligible to receive PECFA proceeds. The party or parties eligible to receive the PECFA award shall submit a signed copy of the sales agreement or lease, a form W-9, and a release from any previous assignment of award under s. NR 747.15, with the next claim. NR 747.50 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; correction made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1., Stats., Register, December, 1998, No. 516; CR 04-058: am. Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06; correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2011 No. 672; correction in (2) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2013 No. 694. NR 747.52NR 747.52 Dispute resolution procedures. NR 747.52(1)(1) Any person, including, but not limited to, owners, operators, persons owning home oil tank systems and their agents may submit a written complaint to the department regarding a consultant, consulting firm or other service provider. NR 747.52(2)(2) The department may investigate consultants, consulting firms or other service providers on its own initiative or upon the receipt of a complaint. The department may conduct an investigation and make a determination regarding a complaint as soon as practicable following the receipt of the complaint. The department shall take appropriate action based on its determination. If it is determined that no further action is warranted or authorized, the department shall notify the persons affected. NR 747.53(1)(b)1.1. All appeals pursuant to this chapter shall be in writing and shall be received by the department no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the decision being appealed. Appeals received more than 30 days after the date of the decision being appealed shall be dismissed. For purposes of this section, appeals received after 4:30 p.m. shall be considered received on the next business day. NR 747.53 NoteNote: A claimant or an attorney representing the claimant may request an administrative hearing to review this action by delivering, mailing, or faxing a written request for a hearing to:
NR 747.53 NoteDelivery address:
Wisconsin DNR
Bureau for Remediation & Redevelopment
101 S. Webster Street, 5th Floor
Madison, WI 53703
NR 747.53 NoteMailing address:
Wisconsin DNR
Bureau for Remediation & Redevelopment
P.O. Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7921
NR 747.53(1)(b)2.2. An appeal shall be signed by the person whose legal rights are affected by the decision being appealed or an attorney representing such person. Any appeal filed by a person other than the person whose legal rights are affected by the decision being appealed or an attorney representing that affected person shall be dismissed. NR 747.53(1)(b)4.4. The written appeal shall list every reason the department’s decision is incorrect and shall identify every issue to be considered in the hearing. Issues not raised in the written appeal under this subdivision are considered to be waived and shall be dismissed. NR 747.53(2)(a)(a) General. All hearings shall be conducted in accordance with these rules and ch. 227, Stats. NR 747.53(2)(b)(b) Settlement agreement prior to hearing. If the department and the affected party are able to reach agreement on disposition of an appeal prior to a hearing, the following actions shall occur: NR 747.53(2)(b)1.1. The settlement agreement shall be transmitted in writing to the administrative law judge designated by the secretary of the department. NR 747.53(2)(b)2.2. The settlement agreement shall be binding upon the parties when signed by both parties and returned to the department. NR 747.53(2)(b)3.3. The settlement agreement shall be considered a joint motion by the parties to dismiss the appeal its entirety or to dismiss such portions of the appeal as may be encompassed by the terms of the settlement agreement. NR 747.53(2)(d)(d) Witness fees. Witness fees and mileage of witnesses subpoenaed on behalf of the department shall be paid at the rate prescribed for witnesses in circuit court. NR 747.53(2)(e)(e) Location of hearings. All hearings shall be held in Madison, Wisconsin at a location determined by the department. Telephone testimony of individual witnesses and telephone hearings may be held at the discretion of the person designated by the secretary as hearing officer. NR 747.53(2)(f)(f) Hearing transcripts. All hearings shall be electronically recorded. Any party may request a copy of the electronic recording. A transcript of the recorded hearing shall be prepared upon request at the expense of the party requesting the transcript. Copies of transcripts prepared under this section shall be provided to the other party or parties upon payment of the actual cost of copying or obtaining a copy of the transcript. The department may require payment in advance. A transcript may be provided at the department’s expense to a party who demonstrates impecuniousness or financial need if that party has filed a petition for judicial review. Where the department contracts with a court reporting firm for the preparation of transcripts, the fees charged for transcription and copying shall be equal to the fees charged to the department by the court reporting firm. NR 747.53 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, February, 1994, No. 458, eff. 3-1-94; CR 04-058: am. Register February 2006 No. 602, eff. 5-1-06; correction in (1) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register February 2006 No. 602; correction in (1) (a), (b) 3. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2011 No. 672; corrections in (1) (a), (b) 3. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register October 2013 No. 694. NR 747.54(1)(a)(a) If a claimant who files an appeal under s. NR 747.53 requests use of arbitration and if the amount at issue is $100,000 or less, the appeal shall be processed under this section. NR 747.54(1)(b)1.1. A request for arbitration shall be considered as a withdrawal of the appeal filed regarding the subject of that arbitration and precludes the claimant from going forward with an administrative appeal regarding the same issues under s. NR 747.53. NR 747.54(1)(b)2.2. Proceeding to an appeal hearing under s. NR 747.53 precludes the claimant from filing an arbitration request regarding the same issues. NR 747.54(1)(c)(c) A request for arbitration shall be in writing signed by the claimant or their attorney, shall include the names and addresses of all parties, and shall be made after denial of costs submitted for reimbursement, but prior to commencement of a hearing under ch. 227, Stats. NR 747.54(2)(2) Scope. Only the costs in the following categories may be the subject of arbitration under this section: NR 747.54(3)(b)(b) Terms. Except where otherwise specified, the following terms are defined as follows for the purposes of this section: NR 747.54(3)(b)1.1. “Administrator” means the administrator of the environmental and regulatory services division of the department, or his or her designee. NR 747.54(3)(b)2.2. “Arbitrator” means a person appointed in accordance with s. 292.63 (6s), Stats., and governed by the provisions of this section. NR 747.54 NoteNote: Section 292.63 (6s) Stats., reads as follows: “Upon the request of a person who files an appeal of a decision of the department under this section, if the amount at issue is $100,000 or less, the appeal shall be heard by one or more individuals designated by the department to serve as arbitrator under rules promulgated for this purpose by the department. In such an arbitration, the arbitrator shall render a decision at the conclusion of the hearing, or within 5 business days after the conclusion of the hearing if the arbitrator determines that additional time is needed to review materials submitted during the hearing, affirming, modifying or rejecting the decision of the department. The arbitrator shall promptly file his or her decision with the department. The decision of the arbitrator is final and shall stand as the decision of the department. An arbitrator’s decision may not be cited as precedent in any other proceeding before the department or before any court. A decision under this subsection is subject to review under ss. 227.53 to 227.57 only on the ground that the decision was procured by corruption, fraud or undue means. The record of a proceeding under this subsection shall be transcribed as provided in s. 227.44 (8).” NR 747.54(3)(b)3.3. “Claim” means the amount sought by a claimant as remediation costs actually incurred by the claimant at a remediation site. NR 747.54(3)(b)4.4. “Ex parte communication” means any communication, written or oral, relating to the merits of an arbitration proceeding, between an arbitrator and any party or their agent, which was not originally filed or stated in the administrative record of the proceeding. Such communication is not ex parte communication if all parties to the proceeding have received prior written notice of the proposed communication and have been given the opportunity to be present and to participate therein. NR 747.54(3)(b)5.5. “Party” means the department and any person who has agreed, pursuant to s. 292.63 (6s), Stats., to submit to an arbitrator one or more issues arising from a denial of incurred costs that have been claimed for reimbursement by a claimant. NR 747.54(4)(a)(a) The department shall establish and maintain a panel of environmental arbitrators. NR 747.54(4)(b)(b) Within 10 days of receiving a request for arbitration, the administrator shall identify and submit simultaneously to all parties an identical list of 6 individuals chosen from the panel of arbitrators, whom the administrator believes will not be subject to disqualification because of circumstances likely to affect impartiality. Each party shall have 10 days from the date of receipt of the list to identify any individuals objected to, to rank the remaining individuals in the order of preference, and to return the list to the administrator. If a party does not return the list within the time specified, all individuals on the list are deemed acceptable to that party. From among the individuals whom the parties have indicated as acceptable, and, in accordance with the designated order of mutual preference, if any, the administrator shall appoint an arbitrator to serve. If the parties fail to mutually agree upon any of the individuals named, or if the appointed arbitrator is unable to serve, or if for any other reason the appointment cannot be made from the submitted lists, the administrator shall make the appointment from among the other members of the panel. In no event shall appointment of the arbitrator by the administrator take longer than 30 days from the filing of the request for arbitration. The administrator’s appointment notice to the arbitrator shall include the names and addresses of all of the parties, as provided in the request for arbitration. NR 747.54(4)(c)(c) The arbitrator shall, within 5 days of receipt of his or her notice of appointment, file a signed acceptance of the case with the department and the claimant. The acceptance shall include a disclosure to the parties of any circumstances likely to affect impartiality, including any bias or any financial or personal interest in the result of the arbitration, or any past or present relationship with the parties or their counsel, or any past or present relationship with any known responsible party to which the claim may relate. NR 747.54(4)(d)(d) If any appointed arbitrator should resign, die, withdraw, be disqualified, or otherwise be unable to perform the duties of the office, the administrator may fill the vacancy in accordance with the applicable provisions of this subsection, and the arbitration process shall be resumed. NR 747.54(5)(a)(a) If any party wishes to request disqualification of an arbitrator, that party shall notify the other parties in writing of that request and the basis therefor within 5 days of receipt of the information on which the request is based. NR 747.54(5)(b)(b) The administrator shall make a determination on any request for disqualification of an arbitrator within 7 days after the department receives the request, and shall notify the parties in writing of the determination. This determination shall be within the sole discretion of the administrator, and that decision shall be final.
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