South Carolina § 44-56-470 - Eligibility for funds.

§ 44-56-470. Eligibility for funds.

(A) In order for the department to expend fund money, a wholesale supply facility or drycleaning facility must be deemed eligible under this section and stay in compliance with this article and regulations promulgated pursuant to this section to remain eligible. In order for the department to determine eligibility, the owner, operator, or the property owner shall submit a timely application on forms developed by the department for this purpose.

(B) A wholesale supply facility, new drycleaning facility, or existing drycleaning facility is deemed eligible under this section only if:

(1) the owner, operator, or property owner of the drycleaning facility, has registered with and has paid all annual fees, surcharges, and solvent fees as required by the Department of Revenue;

(2) the wholesale supply facility or drycleaning facility, is determined by the department to be in compliance with this article and department regulations governing drycleaning facilities or wholesale supply facilities;

(3) the drycleaning facility is covered by third-party liability insurance when and if the insurance becomes available at a reasonable cost, as determined by the Department of Insurance, and if the insurance covers liability for contamination that occurred both before and after the effective date of the policy;

(4) the owner, operator, or property owner of the wholesale supply facility or drycleaning facility submitted an application for determination of eligibility;

(5) the wholesale supply facility or drycleaning facility has not been operated in a grossly negligent manner at any time after November 18, 1980; and

(6) the owner, operator, or property owner of the wholesale supply facility or drycleaning facility submits documented evidence of contamination to the department within six months of discovery if discovery was after November 24, 2004.

(C) A former drycleaning facility is deemed eligible under this section when:

(1) the owner or operator submitting an application for determination of eligibility has an operating drycleaning facility in the fund and every drycleaning facility under their control since July 1, 1995, meets the requirements of subsection (B); and

(2) the owner or operator submits documented evidence of contamination to the department within six months of discovery.

(D) Deductibles will be set as follows:

(1) When an owner, operator, or property owner of a wholesale supply facility, existing drycleaning facility, or former drycleaning facility submits an application for determination of eligibility:

(a) by November 24, 2005, the deductible is one thousand dollars;

(b) after November 24, 2005 and before December 31, 2014, the deductible is twenty-five thousand dollars; and

(c) on or after December 31, 2014, no applications will be accepted.

(2) When an owner, operator, or property owner of a new drycleaning facility submits an application for determination of eligibility, the deductible is twenty-five thousand dollars.

(E) The department shall review the application for determination of eligibility and request any additional information within ninety days of the date of receipt of the application. The department shall notify the applicant regarding the department's determination of eligibility status within one hundred eighty days of the date the department deems the application complete.

(F) Eligibility under this section applies to the site where the drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility is located. Eligibility is not affected by the subsequent conveyance of the ownership of the business or the property on which the business is located. The new owner or operator shall remain in compliance with this article and department regulations governing drycleaning facilities or wholesale supply facilities to maintain eligibility.

(G) A drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility is permanently barred from receiving monies from the fund, and the moratorium described in Section 44-56-420(B) does not apply if:

(1) the owner, operator, or the property owner does not submit an application for determination of eligibility in accordance with subsection (B) or subsection (C);

(2) the owner, operator, or the property owner does not provide documented evidence of contamination to the department within six months of discovery if the discovery was after November 24, 2004;

(3) the owner, operator, or the property owner of a drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility denies the department access to the property; or

(4) the owner, operator, or the property owner of a drycleaning facility misrepresents the number of employees upon which the registration fee described in Section 44-56-440 is based.

(H) A report of drycleaning solvent contamination at a drycleaning facility made to the department by a person in accordance with this article or department regulations governing drycleaning facilities may not be used directly as evidence of liability for the release in a civil or criminal trial arising out of the release.

HISTORY: 2013 Act No. 30, SECTION 1, eff May 21, 2013.

Editor's Note

Prior Laws: Former SECTION 44-56-470 was titled Annual registration and fees for drycleaning facilities, and had the following history: 1995 Act No. 119, SECTION 1; 1998 Act No. 419, Part II, SECTION 64B; 2000 Act No. 317, SECTION 1; 2004 Act No. 237, SECTION 7, eff May 24, 2004; 2009 Act No. 14, SECTION 1, eff May 6, 2009.