Chapter 292

292.41 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. NR 714, Wis. adm. code.

292.51 292.51 Cooperative remedial action.

292.51(1) (1) In this section, “costs of remedying environmental contamination” means costs determined by the department to be necessary to reduce or eliminate environmental contamination and restore the environment, including costs of investigation and of providing public information and education related to reducing or eliminating environmental contamination and restoring the environment.

292.51(2) (2) The department may seek and receive voluntary contributions of funds from a municipality or any other public or private source for all or part of the costs of remedying environmental contamination if the activities being funded are part of a cooperative effort, by the department and the person providing the funds, to remedy that environmental contamination. All contributions received under this subsection shall be deposited in the environmental fund.

292.51(2m) (2m) Any person engaged in a cooperative effort with the department that is described in sub. (2) may seek and receive voluntary contributions of funds on behalf of the effort.

292.51(3) (3) Provision of funding under sub. (2) or (2m) is not evidence of liability or an admission of liability for any environmental contamination.

292.51(4) (4) In carrying out its regulatory and enforcement duties, the department may not base its treatment of a person on whether the person did or did not provide funding under sub. (2).

292.51 History History: 1995 a. 27; 1995 a. 227 s. 824; Stats. 1995 s. 292.51; 1997 a. 27.

292.53 292.53 Availability of environmental insurance. The department, in cooperation with the department of administration, may undertake activities to make private environmental insurance products available to encourage and facilitate the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated property. The department of natural resources may negotiate with, select, and contract with one or more insurers to provide insurance products under this section, subject to the approval of the department of administration under s. 16.865 (5).

292.53 History History: 2003 a. 315.

292.55 292.55 Requests for liability clarification and technical assistance.

292.55(1) (1) 

292.55(1)(a) (a) The department may, upon request, assist a person to determine whether the person is or may become liable for the environmental pollution of a property.

292.55(1)(b) (b) The department may, upon request, assist in, or provide comments on, the planning and implementation of an environmental investigation of a property or the environmental cleanup of a property.

292.55(1)(c) (c) The department may determine whether further action is necessary to remedy environmental pollution of a property.

292.55(1)(d) (d) The department may issue a letter to a person seeking assistance under this subsection concerning any of the following:

292.55(1)(d)1. 1. The liability of a person owning or leasing a property for environmental pollution of the property.

292.55(1)(d)2. 2. The type and extent of environmental pollution of a property.

292.55(1)(d)3. 3. The adequacy of an environmental investigation.

292.55(1)(d)4. 4. Any other matter related to the request for assistance under this subsection.

292.55(2) (2) The department may assess and collect fees from a person to offset the costs of providing assistance under sub. (1). The department shall promulgate rules for the assessment and collection of fees under this subsection. Fees collected under this subsection shall be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.370 (4) (dh).

292.55 History History: 1997 a. 27; 2017 a. 59.

292.55 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. NR 749, Wis. adm. code.

292.57 292.57 Database of properties with residual contamination.

292.57(1) (1) In this section, “groundwater standard” means an enforcement standard, as defined in s. 160.01 (2), or a preventive action limit, as defined in s. 160.01 (6).

292.57(2) (2) 

292.57(2)(a) (a) The department may promulgate a rule specifying a fee for placing information into a database concerning a property on which a groundwater standard is exceeded, a property on which residual contamination is present in soil, or a property that is subject to s. 292.12 (3) (b). The department may also specify a fee for modifying information in the database.

292.57(2)(b) (b) Any moneys collected under this subsection shall be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.370 (4) (dh).

292.57 History History: 1999 a. 9; 2005 a. 25, 418; 2017 a. 59.

292.63 292.63 Petroleum storage remedial action; financial assistance.

292.63(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

292.63(1)(ad) (ad) “Bodily injury” does not include those liabilities which are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for bodily injury other than liabilities excluded because they are caused by a petroleum product discharge from a petroleum product storage system.

292.63(1)(bm) (bm) “Enforcement standard” has the meaning given in s. 160.01 (2).

292.63(1)(c) (c) “Groundwater” has the meaning designated under s. 281.75 (1) (c).

292.63(1)(cm) (cm) “Home oil tank system” means an underground home heating oil tank used for consumptive use on the premises together with any on-site integral piping or dispensing system.

292.63(1)(cq) (cq) “Natural attenuation” means the reduction in the concentration and mass of a substance, and the products into which the substance breaks down, due to naturally occurring physical, chemical and biological processes.

292.63(1)(cs) (cs) “Occurrence” means a contiguous contaminated area resulting from one or more petroleum products discharges.

292.63(1)(d) (d) “Operator” means any of the following:

292.63(1)(d)1. 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 environmental pollution occurs.

292.63(1)(d)2. 2. A subsidiary or parent corporation of the person specified under subd. 1.

292.63(1)(e) (e) “Owner” means any of the following:

292.63(1)(e)1. 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 environmental pollution occurs.

292.63(1)(e)2. 2. A subsidiary or parent corporation of the person specified under subd. 1.

292.63(1)(e)3. 3. A person who formerly owned a farm tank and who satisfies the criteria in sub. (4) (ei) 1m. b.

292.63(1)(f) (f) “Petroleum product” means gasoline, gasoline-alcohol fuel blends, kerosene, fuel oil, burner oil, diesel fuel oil or used motor oil.

292.63(1)(fg) (fg) “Petroleum product storage system” means a storage tank that is located in this state 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 this state or the federal government.

292.63(1)(g) (g) “Program year” means the period beginning on August 1, and ending on the following July 31.

292.63(1)(gm) (gm) “Property damage” does not include those liabilities that are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for property damage, other than liability for remedial action associated with petroleum product discharges from petroleum product storage systems. “Property damage” does not include the loss of fair market value resulting from contamination.

292.63(1)(gs) (gs) “Service provider” means 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, or a subcontractor of such a person.

292.63(1)(h) (h) “Subsidiary or parent corporation” means 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.

292.63(1)(hm) (hm) “Terminal” means a petroleum product storage system that is itself connected to a pipeline facility, as defined in 49 USC 60101 (18) or is one of a number of connected petroleum product storage systems at least one of which is connected to a pipeline facility, as defined in 49 USC 60101 (18).

292.63(1)(i) (i) “Underground petroleum product storage tank system” means an underground storage tank used for storing petroleum products together with any on-site integral piping or dispensing system with at least 10 percent of its total volume below the surface of the ground.

292.63(1m) (1m) Rules concerning 3rd-party compensation. The commissioner of insurance shall promulgate rules defining “liabilities which are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for bodily injury” and “liabilities which are excluded from coverage in liability insurance policies for property damage” for the purposes of sub. (1) (ad) and (gm). The definitions shall be consistent with standard insurance industry practices.

292.63(2) (2) Powers and duties of the department.

292.63(2)(b) (b) The department shall promote the program under this section to persons who may be eligible for awards under this section.

292.63(2)(c) (c) The department shall keep records and statistics on the program under this section and shall periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

292.63(2)(d) (d) The department shall reserve a portion, not to exceed 20 percent, of the amount annually appropriated under s. 20.370 (6) (fr) for awards under this section to be used to fund emergency remedial action and claims that exceed the amount initially anticipated.

292.63(2)(e) (e) The department shall promulgate rules, with an effective date of no later than January 1, 1996, specifying the methods the department will use under sub. (3) (ae), (ah), (am) and (ap) to identify the petroleum product storage system or home oil tank system which discharged the petroleum product that caused an area of contamination and to determine when a petroleum product discharge that caused an area of contamination occurred. The department shall write the rule in a way that permits a clear determination of what petroleum product contamination is eligible for an award under sub. (4) after December 31, 1995.

292.63(2)(em) (em)

292.63(2)(em)1. 1. The department may promulgate rules that specify a fee that must be paid by a service provider as a condition of submitting a bid to conduct an activity under sub. (3) (c) for which a claim for reimbursement under this section will be submitted. Any fees collected under the rules shall be deposited into the petroleum inspection fund.

292.63(2)(em)2. 2. If the department promulgates rules under subd. 1., the department may purchase, or provide funding for the purchase of, insurance to cover the amount by which the costs of conducting activities under sub. (3) (c) exceed the amount bid to conduct those activities.

292.63(2)(f) (f) The department shall promulgate a rule establishing a priority system for paying awards under sub. (4) for petroleum product storage systems that are owned by school districts and that are used for storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored.

292.63(2)(g) (g) The department may promulgate, by rule, requirements for the certification or registration of persons who provide consulting services to owners and operators who file claims under this section. Any rule requiring certification or registration shall also authorize the revocation or suspension of the certification or registration.

292.63(2)(h) (h) The department shall promulgate rules designed to facilitate effective and cost-efficient administration of the program under this section that specify all of the following:

292.63(2)(h)1. 1. Information that must be submitted under this section, including quarterly summaries of costs incurred with respect to a discharge for which a claim is intended to be submitted under sub. (3) but for which a final claim has not been submitted.

292.63(2)(h)2. 2. Formats for submitting the information under subd. 1.

292.63(2)(h)3. 3. Review procedures that must be followed by employees of the department in reviewing the information submitted under subd. 1.

292.63(2)(i) (i) The department shall promulgate rules specifying procedures for evaluating remedial action plans and procedures to be used by employees of the department while remedial actions are being conducted. The department shall specify procedures that include all of the following:

292.63(2)(i)1. 1. Annual reviews that include application of the method in the rules promulgated under sub. (2e) (a) to determine the risk posed by discharges that are the subject of the remedial actions.

292.63(2)(i)2. 2. Annual reports by consultants estimating the additional costs that must be incurred to comply with sub. (3) (c) 3. and with enforcement standards.

292.63(2)(i)3. 3. A definition of “reasonable time” for the purpose of determining whether natural attenuation may be used to achieve enforcement standards.

292.63(2)(i)4. 4. Procedures to be used to measure concentrations of contaminants.

292.63(2)(j) (j) The department shall promulgate rules specifying all of the following:

292.63(2)(j)1. 1. The conditions under which employees of the department must issue approvals under sub. (3) (c) 4.

292.63(2)(j)2. 2. Training and management procedures to ensure that employees comply with the requirements under subd. 1.

292.63(2e) (2e) Risk-based analysis.

292.63(2e)(a) (a) The department shall promulgate rules that specify a method, which shall include individualized consideration of the routes for migration of petroleum product contamination at each site, for determining the risk to public health, safety and welfare and to the environment posed by discharges for which the department receives notification under sub. (3) (a) 3.

292.63(2e)(c) (c) The department shall apply the method in the rules promulgated under par. (a) to determine the risk posed by a discharge for which the department receives notification under sub. (3) (a) 3.

292.63(3) (3) Claims for petroleum product investigation, remedial action planning and remedial action activities.

292.63(3)(a) (a) Who may submit a claim. Subject to pars. (ac), (ae), (ah), (am) and (ap), an owner or operator or a person owning a home oil tank system may submit a claim to the department for an award under sub. (4) to reimburse the owner or operator or the person for the eligible costs under sub. (4) (b) that the owner or operator or the person incurs because of a petroleum products discharge from a petroleum product storage system or home oil tank system if all of the following apply:

292.63(3)(a)1. 1. The owner or operator or the person is able to document that the source of a discharge is from a petroleum product storage system or home oil tank system.

292.63(3)(a)3. 3. The owner or operator or the person notifies the department, before conducting a site investigation or remedial action activity, of the discharge and the potential for submitting a claim under this section, except as provided under par. (g).

292.63(3)(a)4. 4. The owner or operator registers the petroleum product storage system or the home oil tank system is registered with the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection under s. 168.23.

292.63(3)(a)5. 5. The owner or operator or the person reports the discharge in a timely manner to the division of emergency management in the department of military affairs or to the department, according to the requirements under s. 292.11.

292.63(3)(a)6. 6. The owner or operator or the person investigates the extent of environmental damage caused by the petroleum product storage system or home oil tank system.

292.63(3)(a)7. 7. The owner or operator or the person recovers any recoverable petroleum products from the petroleum products storage system or home oil tank system.

292.63(3)(a)8. 8. The owner or operator or the person disposes of any residual solid or hazardous waste in a manner consistent with local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations.

292.63(3)(a)9. 9. The owner or operator or the person follows standards for groundwater restoration in the groundwater standards in the rules promulgated by the department under ss. 160.07 and 160.09 and restores the environment, to the extent practicable, according to those standards at the site of the discharge from a petroleum product storage system or home oil tank system.

292.63(3)(ac) (ac) Claim deadline; sunset.