§ 38 §568 — Cleanup and removal of prohibited discharges

Maine § 38 §568

• Jurisdiction: Maine
• Title 38: WATERS AND NAVIGATION
• Ch. 3: PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF WATERS

Text

1.
Removal.
Any person discharging or suffering a discharge of oil from an underground oil storage facility or an aboveground oil storage facility in the manner prohibited by section 543 and any other responsible party shall immediately undertake to remove that discharge to the commissioner's satisfaction. Notwithstanding this requirement, the commissioner may order the removal of that discharge pursuant to subsection 3 or may undertake the removal of that discharge and retain agents and contractors for that purpose, who shall operate under the direction of the commissioner. Any unexplained discharge of oil within state jurisdiction must be removed by or under the direction of the commissioner. Any expenses involved in the removal of discharges, whether by the person causing the discharge, the person reporting the discharge, the commissioner or the commissioner's agents or contractors, may be paid in the first instance from the fund, including any expenses incurred by the State under subsection 3, and any reimbursements due that fund must be collected in accordance with section 551, subsection 6.
2.
Restoration of water supplies.
The commissioner may clean up any discharge of oil and take temporary and permanent remedial actions at locations threatened or affected by the discharge of oil, including restoring or replacing water supplies contaminated or threatened by oil with alternatives the commissioner finds are cost effective, technologically feasible and reliable and that effectively mitigate or minimize damage to and provide adequate protection of the public health, welfare and the environment. When the remedial action taken includes the installation of a public water supply or the extension of mains of an existing utility, the department's obligation is limited to construction of those works that are necessary to furnish the contaminated or potentially contaminated properties with a supply of water sufficient for existing uses. The department is not obligated to contribute to a utility's system development charge or to provide works or water sources exceeding those required to abate the threats or hazards posed by the discharge. The fund may be used to pay costs of operation, maintenance and depreciation of the works or water supply for a period not exceeding 20 years. The commissioner shall consult with the affected party prior to selecting the alternative to be implemented.
2-A.
Limitation on clean-up responsibility.
Notwithstanding subsections 1 and 2, if a water supply well is installed after October 1, 1994 to serve a location that immediately before the well installation was served by a viable community public water system, and the well is or becomes contaminated with oil:
3.
Issuance of clean-up orders.
The commissioner may investigate and sample sites where an oil discharge has or may have occurred to identify the source and extent of the discharge. During the course of the investigation, the commissioner may require submission of information or documents that relate or may relate to the discharge under investigation from any person who the commissioner has reason to believe may be a responsible party under this subchapter or subchapter 2‑A. If the commissioner finds, after investigation, that a discharge of oil has occurred and may create a threat to public health or the environment, including, but not limited to, contamination of a water supply, the commissioner may issue a clean-up order requiring the responsible party to cease the discharge immediately and to take action to prevent further discharge and to mitigate or terminate the threat of human exposure to contamination or to explosive vapors. In addition to other actions, including an action to prohibit product delivery under section 565‑A, the commissioner may, as part of any clean-up order, require the responsible party to provide temporary drinking water and water treatment systems approved by the commissioner, to sample and analyze wells, to compensate 3rd-party damages resulting from the discharge and to impose restrictions by deed covenant or other means on the use of the real property where the discharge occurred. The commissioner may also order that the responsible party take temporary and permanent remedial actions at locations threatened or affected by the discharge of oil, including a requirement that the responsible party restore or replace water supplies contaminated with oil with water supplies the commissioner finds are cost effective, technologically feasible and reliable and that effectively mitigate or minimize damage to, and provide adequate protection of, the public health, welfare and the environment. Clean-up orders may be issued only in compliance with the following procedures.
4.
Enforcement; penalties; punitive damages.
Enforcement, penalties and punitive damages are as follows.
5.
Acquisition of property; authority.
5-A.
Land acquisition.
Upon approval of the board by 2/3 majority vote, the department may acquire by purchase, lease, condemnation, donation or otherwise, any real property or any interest in real property, to undertake remedial actions in response to a discharge of oil, including, but not limited to:
6.
Reimbursement.
If the commissioner requires an underground oil storage facility owner or operator to remove or close an underground oil storage facility upon evidence of a leak and if after investigation that facility is found not to be the source of a leak, the commissioner shall immediately reimburse that facility owner or operator from the fund for the documented costs of that removal. The facility owner or operator may be reimbursed for damages resulting from the removal, such as loss of income, through the 3rd-party damage claim process in section 551.

Legislative History

PL 1985, c. 496, §A14 (NEW). PL 1987, c. 491, §15 (RPR). PL 1987, c. 556 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 735, §71 (AMD). PL 1987, c. 787, §14 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 865, §14 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 890, §§A40,B146 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 66, §A28 (RPR). PL 1991, c. 433, §2 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 494, §§8,9 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 763, §7 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 817, §22 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 621, §3 (AMD). PL 2005, c. 330, §22 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 534, §4 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 655, §6 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 121, §§12, 13 (AMD). PL 2009, c. 319, §8 (AMD). PL 2015, c. 319, §§23, 24 (AMD).