PECFA Program Deadline Looms

On Sunday, July 12, 2015, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker used his veto power to create a new deadline for the state's Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award ("PECFA") program. The program provides for reimbursement of certain eligible costs relating to releases from qualified registered storage tanks at sites that have been assigned a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ("WDNR") Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System ("BRRTS") number.

The Governor's veto message noted:

"I am partially vetoing … to specify that notification must be received by the department before July 20, 2015, because I object to further extending the amount of time for claimants to submit notices of claims to the department. The program was intended to pay for the removal of petroleum tanks installed before 1991 that did not meet certain federal standards and cleanup petroleum discharges from these tanks. The program was extended to include cleanup of discharges from certain tanks installed before 2001. The program has existed for sufficient time that its primary purpose has been completed."

Therefore, the WDNR must receive notification of discharge and potential claim before July 20, 2015. According to the WDNR, this notification must thus be postmarked or emailed to the appropriate WDNR official on or before Sunday, July 19, 2015. Consequently, if you have not yet applied to the WDNR for PECFA eligibility and would like to do so, you must submit the proper information to the WDNR prior to the new deadline. If your tank is not registered with the state, you must register it before applying to the WDNR. You must also have a BRRTS number.

If you have any questions about this new deadline or the process for registering tanks, please contact Troy E. Giles.