Section 40. Amount and scope of financial responsibility requirement

A. Owners or operators of petroleum underground storage tanks shall demonstrate financial responsibility for taking corrective action and for compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by accidental releases arising from the operation of petroleum underground storage tanks in the following per-occurrence amounts:

1. For owners or operators of petroleum underground storage tanks that are located at petroleum marketing facilities, or that handle an average of more than 10,000 gallons of petroleum per month based on annual throughput for the previous calendar year; $1 million.

2. For all other owners or operators of petroleum underground storage tanks; $500,000.

B. Owners and operators of petroleum underground storage tanks shall demonstrate financial responsibility for taking corrective action and for compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by accidental releases arising from the operation of petroleum underground storage tanks in at least the following annual aggregate amounts:

1. For owners and operators of 1 to 100 petroleum underground storage tanks, $1 million; and

2. For owners and operators of 101 or more petroleum underground storage tanks, $2 million.

C. Owners and operators of petroleum underground storage tanks may use the Virginia Petroleum Storage Tank Fund in combination with one or more of the mechanisms specified in 9VAC25-590-60 through 9VAC25-590-110 and 9VAC25-590-250 to satisfy the financial responsibility as required by this section. The fund may be used to demonstrate financial responsibility for the owner or operator in excess of the amounts specified in 9VAC25-590-210 C 1 up to the per occurrence and annual aggregate requirements specified in this section for both taking corrective action and compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by accidental releases from petroleum underground storage tanks.

D. Owners and operators who demonstrate financial responsibility shall maintain copies of those records on which the determination is based. The following documents may be used for purposes of demonstrating financial responsibility by owners or operators to support a financial responsibility requirement determination:

1. Copies of invoices from petroleum suppliers which indicate the gallons of petroleum pumped into all underground storage tanks on an annual basis.

2. Copies of disposal or recycling receipts which indicate the gallons of petroleum pumped out of all underground storage tanks on an annual basis.

3. Letters from petroleum suppliers or disposal or recycling firms on the supplier's, disposer's or recycler's letterhead, which are signed by the appropriate financial officer and which indicate the gallons of petroleum pumped into or out of all of the owner's or operator's underground storage tanks on an annual basis.

4. Any other form of documentation which the board may deem to be acceptable evidence to support the financial responsibility requirement determination.

E. For the purposes of this section, "a petroleum underground storage tank" means a single containment unit and does not mean combinations of single containment units.

F. If the owner or operator uses separate mechanisms or separate combinations of mechanisms to demonstrate financial responsibility for: (i) taking corrective action; (ii) compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by sudden accidental releases; or (iii) compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by nonsudden accidental releases, the amount of assurance provided by each mechanism or combination of mechanisms shall be in the full amount specified in subsection A of this section.

G. If an owner or operator uses separate mechanisms or separate combinations of mechanisms to demonstrate financial responsibility for different petroleum underground storage tanks, the annual aggregate required for each mechanism shall be the amount specified in subsection B of this section.

H. If assurance is being demonstrated by a combination of mechanisms, the owner or operator shall demonstrate financial responsibility in the appropriate amount of annual aggregate assurance specified in subsection B of this section, by the first-occurring effective date anniversary of any one of the mechanisms combined (other than a financial test or guarantee) to provide assurance.

I. The amounts of assurance required under this section exclude legal defense costs.

J. The required per-occurrence and annual aggregate coverage amounts do not in any way limit the liability of the owner or operator.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR680-13-03 § 4, eff. May 9, 1990; amended, Volume 10, Issue 01, eff. November 3, 1993; Volume 14, Issue 23, eff. September 2, 1998; Volume 21, Issue 08, eff. January 26, 2005.

Statutory Authority

§§ 62.1-44.34:9 and 62.1-44.34:12 of the Code of Virginia; 40 CFR Part 280.