History: P.A. 85-131 amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that costs and assessments of a modified facility are limited
to the volume of waste or gross receipts attributable to the modification; P.A. 05-288 made technical changes in Subsec.
(a), effective July 13, 2005.
Sec. 22a-133u. Uses of Special Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund. (a) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may use any funds
in the Special Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund established in
section 22a-133t other than any funds which are necessary to carry out any other responsibility of said commissioner under this section, for (1) removal or mitigation of a spill,
as defined in section 22a-452c, upon or into land or waters of the state if the owner of
the property associated with such spill is found to be an innocent landowner, as defined
in section 22a-452d, and for administrative costs related to such removal or mitigation
or (2) administrative costs related to the remediation of a property for which a loan was
made under subsection (b) of this section provided not more than five thousand dollars
shall be disbursed from the fund for such purpose. Said commissioner may use any
funds received in connection with the issuance of a covenant not to sue or a settlement
by said commissioner of a claim related to contaminated real property, or any funds
received pursuant to section 22a-16a, for removal or mitigation of a spill, as defined in
section 22a-452c, for which the owner of the property associated with such spill would
be liable except for a covenant not to sue entered into pursuant to sections 22a-133aa
or 22a-133bb and for administrative costs related to such removal or mitigation. Said
commissioner may use any funds received pursuant to section 22a-134e and subsection
(c) of section 22a-133aa, for expenses related to the administration of sections 22a-134
to 22a-134e, inclusive, and for expenses related to administration of sections 22a-133x,
22a-133y, 22a-133aa and 22a-133bb.
(b) The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, may use any
funds deposited into the Special Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance
Fund pursuant to section 3 of public act 96-250* for (1) loans to municipalities, individuals or firms for Phase II environmental site assessments, Phase III investigations of real
property or for any costs of demolition, including related lead and asbestos removal or
abatement costs or costs related to the remediation of environmental pollution, undertaken to prepare contaminated real property for development subsequent to any Phase
III investigation, and (2) expenses related to administration of this subsection provided
such expenses may not exceed one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars per year.
(c) Any person, firm, corporation or municipality which has received funds under
subsection (b) of this section shall repay such funds to the Commissioner of Economic
and Community Development, according to a schedule and terms which said commissioner deems appropriate. The principal amount of the loan shall be due at a time deemed
appropriate by the commissioner as follows: (1) Upon the sale of the property or lease
of the property, in whole or in part, which is the subject of such evaluation or demolition;
(2) upon the sale or release of a municipality's liens on such property; or (3) upon the
approval by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection of a final remedial action
report submitted in accordance with section 22a-133y. The Commissioner of Economic
and Community Development may require repayment of the loan amortized over a
period of no more than five years from the sale of the property, sale of the lien or approval
by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection of the final remedial action report.
No repayment shall be required, other than interest for the period that the loan is outstanding, if completion of remediation of environmental pollution at or on the property, or
the sale or lease of such property, is economically infeasible due to the cost of such
remediation. The commissioner may require partial repayment of the loan only if partial
repayment is economically feasible. Any funds received by said commissioner as repayment under this subsection shall be deposited into the Special Contaminated Property
Remediation and Insurance Fund. The terms of any loan agreement entered into by said
commissioner under said subsection may provide for the collection of interest on the
loan which may vary according to whether the applicant is a municipality or a private
entity and the duration of the repayment schedule for such loan provided the interest
cost to the borrower provided for in such agreement shall not exceed the interest cost
to the state on borrowings of like terms.
(d) The amount of any funds received under subsection (b) of this section by any
entity other than a municipality shall be a lien against the real property for which the
funds were disbursed. A lien pursuant to this section shall not be effective unless (1) a
certificate of lien is filed in the land records of each town in which the real estate is
located, describing the real estate, the amount of the lien, the name of the owner as
grantor, and (2) the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development mails a
copy of the certificate to such persons and to all other persons of record holding an
interest in such real estate over which the commissioner's lien is entitled to priority.
Any action for the foreclosure of such lien shall be brought by the Attorney General in
the name of the state in the superior court for the judicial district in which the property
subject to such lien is situated, or, if such property is located in two or more judicial
districts, in the superior court for any one such judicial district, and the court may limit
the time for redemption or order the sale of such property or make such other or further
decree as it judges equitable.
(e) (1) There is established a Special Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund Advisory Board to advise and review, on a yearly basis, the progress of
the fund. The board shall consist of one member representing a municipality, appointed
by the speaker of the House of Representatives; one member representing a bank, appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; one member who has experience in the
field of contaminated property remediation, appointed by the majority leader of the
House of Representatives; one member representing a municipality, appointed by the
president pro tempore of the Senate; one member representing a bank, appointed by the
minority leader of the House of Representatives; one member who has experience in
the field of contaminated property remediation, appointed by the Governor; and one
member representing a municipality, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.
The board shall annually elect one of its members to serve as chairperson.
(2) The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall establish
criteria for (A) making disbursements under subsection (b) of this section which criteria
shall include, but not be limited to, anticipated commercial value of the property, potential tax revenue to the relevant municipality, environmental or public health risk posed
by the spill, potential community or economic development benefit to the relevant municipality, the status of any loans previously made under said subsection to the municipality and potential for restoration of an abandoned property, and (B) cancelling loans
related to a property at which the borrower of the loan elects not to proceed with remediation. Such criteria shall further set forth the procedure for applying for a loan from the
fund and the procedure to be used for evaluation of such an application. In approving
any loan under said subsection to any person, firm or corporation, the Commissioner
of Economic and Community Development may consider the loan applicant's credit
history and economic solvency, any plan of such applicant for business development,
municipal support for the proposed use of the property and any existing indebtedness
of such applicant to any entity.
(P.A. 95-190, S. 6, 17; 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; 96-250, S. 5, 7; P.A. 97-124, S. 13, 16; P.A. 98-134, S. 5;
98-253, S. 14; P.A. 99-216, S. 1; 99-225, S. 15, 33; P.A. 00-171, S. 1, 2; P.A. 01-204, S. 2, 29; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9,
S. 73, 131; P.A. 05-191, S. 6; 05-285, S. 1.)
*Note: Section 3 of public act 96-250 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force
and effect according to its terms.
History: P.A. 95-190, S. 6 effective June 29, 1995; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department
of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 96-250
amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re use of fund for administrative and other costs incurred by commissioner under
this section, amended Subsec. (b) to condition use of the fund by the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development upon approval of the advisory board, to delete a reference to former provisions for revenue bond moneys, to add
provisions re deposit of moneys from other sources and to change provision re administrative allowance from ten per cent
of fund to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars per year, amended Subsec. (c) to add provision exempting from
repayment of loan properties whose resale or lease is economically infeasible, and amended Subsec. (e) to establish the
advisory board and to provide for its powers and duties, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 97-124 amended Subsec. (b) to allow
loans under this section for demolition undertaken subsequent to any Phase III investigation and to make technical changes,
effective June 6, 1997; P.A. 98-134 amended Subsec. (b) to allow loans under this section for any Phase III investigation;
P.A. 98-253 deleted reference to Subsec. (c) of Sec. 22a-133bb in Subsec. (a); P.A. 99-216 amended Subsec. (e) to require
the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development to establish criteria for disbursements from the fund and
to require additional information in the report required to be submitted to the General Assembly regarding the fund; P.A.
99-225 amended Subsec. (e) to delay until February 1, 2001, and modify the requirements of, a report by the board to the
General Assembly regarding the solvency of the fund, effective June 29, 1999; P.A. 00-171 amended Subsec. (b) to allow
funds to be used for lead and asbestos removal or abatement costs and amended Subsec. (c) by revising terms of repayment;
P.A. 01-204 amended Subsec. (e)(2) to change the date on which the board must submit report from February 1, 1997, to
February 1, 2003, and to change the date on which the board must submit recommendations from February 1, 2001, to
February 1, 2003, effective July 11, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of P.A. 01-204 but without affecting
this section; P.A. 05-191 amended Subsec. (e)(2) to delete requirement for annual report by board and Commissioner of
Economic and Community Development; P.A. 05-285 amended Subsec. (b) to delete requirement for approval of the
advisory board, to delete reference to repealed Sec. 12-63f, and to allow loans to be used for costs related to remediation,
amended Subsec. (c) to allow the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development to require repayment of loan
amortized over a period of no more than five years after certain events, amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change,
and amended Subsec. (e) to change the function of the board, effective July 13, 2005.
Sec. 22a-133ee. Liability of owner of real property for pollution that occurred
or existed prior to taking title. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, and except as provided in this section, no owner of real property shall be liable for
any costs or damages to any person other than this state, any other state or the federal
government, with respect to any pollution or source of pollution on or emanating from
such owner's real property that occurred or existed prior to such owner taking title to
such property, provided:
(1) The owner did not establish or create a condition or facility at or on such property
that reasonably can be expected, as determined by the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection, to create a source of pollution to the waters of the state for purposes of section
22a-432 and such owner is not responsible pursuant to any other provision of the general
statutes for creating any pollution or source of pollution on such property;
(2) The owner is not affiliated with any person responsible for such pollution or
source of pollution through any direct or indirect familial relationship, or any contractual, corporate or financial relationship other than that by which such owner's interest
in the property was conveyed or financed; and
(3) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection has approved in writing: (A)
An investigation report regarding such pollution or sources of pollution, provided the
investigation was conducted in accordance with the prevailing standards and guidelines
by an environmental professional licensed in accordance with section 22a-133v; and
(B) a final remedial action report prepared by a licensed environmental professional
that demonstrates that remediation of such pollution and sources of pollution was completed in accordance with the remediation standards in regulations adopted pursuant to
section 22a-133k. Prior to the initiation of an investigation or a remediation undertaken
to meet the criteria of this section, an owner of the subject real property shall notify, by
certified mail, the owners of the adjoining properties of such initiation. Such reports
shall be forwarded, by certified mail, to the owners of the adjoining properties.
(b) This section shall not relieve any such liability where (1) an owner failed to file
or comply with the provisions of an environmental land use restriction created pursuant
to section 22a-133o for such real property or with the conditions of a variance for the
real property that was approved by the commissioner in accordance with regulations
adopted pursuant to section 22a-133k, or (2) the commissioner, at any time, determines
that an owner provided information that the owner knew or had reason to know was
false or misleading or otherwise failed to satisfy all of the requirements of subsection
(a) of this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve an owner of any
liability for pollution or sources of pollution on or emanating from such property that
occurred or were created after the owner took title to such property. Nothing in this
section shall be construed to hold an innocent landowner, as defined in section 22a-452d, who meets the requirements of this section liable to this state for costs or damages
in an amount greater than the amount that an innocent landowner may be held liable
pursuant to section 22a-432.
(c) If an owner of real property is found to be liable under this section because the
owner is affiliated with the person responsible for the pollution or source of pollution,
as provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, such owner shall be liable
for a civil penalty of one hundred thousand dollars or the cost of remediating the pollution
or source of pollution, whichever is greater.
(P.A. 05-90, S. 1.)
Sec. 22a-134b. Damages.
Trial court properly considered in its valuation of property the possibility of recovering remediation costs pursuant to
Transfer Act. 272 C. 14.
Sec. 22a-134e. Transfer fees. Regulations. (a) As used in this section, "cost of
remediation" shall include total costs related to the complete investigation of pollution
on-site and off-site, evaluation of remediation alternatives, design and implementation
of approved remediation, operation and maintenance costs for the remediation and postremediation monitoring.
(b) The fee for filing a Form I, as defined in section 22a-134, shall be three hundred
dollars. The fee for filing a Form II shall be one thousand fifty dollars except as provided
for in subsections (e) and (p) of this section.
(c) The fee for filing a Form III, after July 1, 1990, and before July 1, 1993, shall
be as follows: (1) Four thousand five hundred dollars if the cost of remediation is less
than one hundred thousand dollars; (2) seven thousand dollars if the cost of remediation
is equal to or greater than one hundred thousand dollars but less than five hundred
thousand dollars; (3) ten thousand dollars if the cost of remediation is equal to or greater
than five hundred thousand dollars but less than one million dollars; and (4) thirteen
thousand dollars if the cost of remediation is equal to or greater than one million dollars.
(d) The fee for filing a Form III with the Commissioner of Environmental Protection
prior to July 1, 1990, and which concern a site for which the commissioner had not
given written approval of a final remediation plan before July 1, 1990, shall be as follows:
For a Form III filed between October 1, 1985, and September 30, 1986, the fee shall be
twenty per cent of the amount specified in subsection (c) of this section; for a Form III
filed between October 1, 1986, and September 30, 1987, the fee shall be forty per cent
of the amount specified in subsection (c) of this section; for a Form III filed between
October 1, 1987, and September 30, 1988, the fee shall be sixty per cent of the amount
specified in subsection (c) of this section; for a Form III filed between October 1, 1988,
and September 30, 1989, the fee shall be eighty per cent of the amount specified in
subsection (c) of this section and for a Form III filed between October 1, 1989, and July
1, 1990, the fee shall be ninety per cent of the amount specified in said subsection (c).
(e) If a Form II is filed after July 1, 1990, and before October 1, 1995, and within
three years following completion of remedial measures as approved by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the fee for such transfer shall be the fee specified
in subsection (c) of this section.
(f) The fees specified in subsections (b) and (e) of this section shall be due upon
the filing of the notification required under section 22a-134a.
(g) The fee specified in subsection (c) of this section shall be due in accordance
with the following schedule: (1) Four thousand five hundred dollars shall be paid upon
filing of the Form III; (2) the balance, if any, shall be paid within thirty days of receipt
from the commissioner of written approval of a remedial action plan or within thirty
days of the issuance of an order, consent agreement or stipulated judgment, whichever
is earlier; (3) any remaining balance shall be paid within thirty days after receipt of
written notice from the commissioner that it is due; (4) any refund, if applicable, will
be paid after receipt of a letter from the commissioner stating that no further action is
required or after receipt of a letter of compliance.
(h) The fee specified in subsection (d) of this section shall be due in accordance
with the following schedule: (1) Nine hundred dollars shall be paid within thirty days
of receipt of a written notice of a fee due from the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection; (2) the balance, if any, shall be paid within thirty days of receipt from the
commissioner of written approval of a remedial action plan or within thirty days of the
issuance of an order, consent agreement or stipulated judgment, whichever is earlier;
(3) any remaining balance shall be paid within thirty days after receipt of written notice
from the commissioner that it is due; (4) any refund, if applicable, will be paid after
receipt of a letter from the commissioner stating that no further action is required or
after receipt of a letter of compliance.
(i) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of
chapter 54, to prescribe the amount of the fees required pursuant to this section. Upon
the adoption of such regulations, the fees required by this section shall be as prescribed
in such regulations.
(j) The fees specified in this section shall be paid by the certifying party.
(k) The fee for filing a Form III, on and after July 1, 1993, and before October 1,
1995, shall be as follows: (1) Twenty-three thousand dollars if the cost of remediation
is equal to or greater than one million dollars; (2) twenty thousand dollars if the cost of
remediation is equal to or greater than five hundred thousand dollars but less than one
million dollars; (3) fourteen thousand dollars if the cost of remediation is equal to or
greater than one hundred thousand dollars but less than five hundred thousand dollars;
(4) four thousand five hundred dollars if the cost of remediation is equal to or greater
than fifty thousand dollars but less than one hundred thousand dollars; (5) three thousand
dollars if the cost of remediation is equal to or greater than twenty-five thousand dollars
but less than fifty thousand dollars; and (6) two thousand dollars if the cost of remediation
is less than twenty-five thousand dollars.
(l) The fee specified in subsection (k) of this section shall be due in accordance with
the following schedule: (1) Two thousand dollars shall be paid upon the filing of the
notification required under section 22a-134a if the cost of remediation is less than one
hundred thousand dollars; (2) six thousand dollars shall be paid upon filing of the notification required under section 22a-134a if the cost of remediation is equal to or greater
than one hundred thousand dollars; (3) the balance, if any, shall be paid within thirty
days of receipt from the commissioner of written approval of a remedial action plan or
within thirty days of the issuance of an order, consent agreement or stipulated judgment,
whichever is earlier; (4) any remaining balance shall be paid within thirty days after
receipt of written notice from the commissioner that it is due; (5) any refund, if applicable, will be paid after receipt of a letter from the commissioner stating that no further
action is required or after receipt of a letter of compliance. After the deposit of any
appropriated funds, funds from the sale of bonds of the state or any contribution pursuant
to section 22a-16a, 22a-133t or 22a-133u or section 3 of public act 96-250* to the Special
Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund established under section 22a-133t, any amount received by the commissioner pursuant to this section shall be deposited into said fund.
(m) On and after October 1, 1995, the fee for filing a Form III or Form IV shall be
due in accordance with the following schedule: An initial fee of three thousand dollars
shall be submitted to the commissioner with the filing of a Form III or Form IV. If a
licensed environmental professional verifies the remediation of the establishment and
the commissioner has not notified the certifying party that the commissioner's written
approval of the remediation is required, no additional fee shall be due. If the commissioner notifies the certifying party that the commissioner's written approval of the remediation is required, the balance of the total fee shall be due prior to the commissioner's
issuance of the commissioner's final approval of the remediation.
(n) On and after October 1, 1995, the total fee for filing a Form III shall be as follows:
(1) Thirty-four thousand five hundred dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to
or greater than one million dollars; (2) thirty thousand dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or greater than five hundred thousand dollars but less than one million
dollars; (3) twenty-one thousand dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or
greater than one hundred thousand dollars but less than five hundred thousand dollars;
(4) six thousand seven hundred fifty dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to
or greater than fifty thousand dollars but less than one hundred thousand dollars; (5)
four thousand five hundred dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or greater
than twenty-five thousand dollars but less than fifty thousand dollars; and (6) three
thousand dollars if the total cost of remediation is less than twenty-five thousand dollars.
(o) On and after October 1, 1995, except as provided in subsection (p) of this section,
the total fee for filing a Form IV shall be as follows: (1) Seventeen thousand two hundred
fifty dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or greater than one million dollars;
(2) fifteen thousand dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or greater than
five hundred thousand dollars but less than one million dollars; (3) ten thousand five
hundred dollars if the total cost of remediation is greater than or equal to one hundred
thousand dollars but less than five hundred thousand dollars; (4) three thousand three
hundred seventy-five dollars if the total cost of remediation is equal to or greater than
fifty thousand dollars but less than one hundred thousand dollars; and (5) three thousand
dollars if the total cost of remediation is less than fifty thousand dollars.
(p) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the fee for filing a Form II
or Form IV for an establishment for which the commissioner has issued a written approval of a remediation under subsection (c) of section 22a-133x within three years of
the date of the filing of the form shall be the total fee for a Form III specified in subsection
(n) of this section and shall be due upon the filing of the Form II or Form IV.
(q) The requirements of this section shall not apply to a transfer of property to a
municipality under the provisions of section 12-157.
(P.A. 90-231, S. 5, 28; P.A. 91-369, S. 12, 36; P.A. 93-277, S. 1, 2; 93-435, S. 55, 95; P.A. 94-28, S. 1, 3; P.A. 95-183,
S. 8; 95-190, S. 11, 17; P.A. 96-113, S. 3-5, 14, 17; P.A. 99-216, S. 3, 4; 99-225, S. 9, 10, 21, 33; P.A. 01-204, S. 18-20;
June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 73, 131; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 119, 120; P.A. 05-285, S. 2.)
*Note: Section 3 of public act 96-250 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force
and effect according to its terms.
History: P.A. 91-369 inserted a new Subsec. (a) defining "cost of clean up", amended Subsecs. (b), (c) and (d) to specify
that the fee is for filing of notice under those subsections, amended Subsec. (d) to include in the requirements of that
subsection certain sites which had not been approved by the commissioner before July 1, 1990, amended Subsec. (e) to
specify that said subsection shall apply to transfer after July 1, 1990, amended Subsec. (g) to specify when certain portions
of fees due under this section shall be due, deleted former Subsec. (h) re setting of fees on and after July 1, 1995, and added
new Subsecs. concerning the setting of fees under this section by regulation and concerning payment of fees by the
transferee, relettering previously existing Subsecs. as necessary; P.A. 93-277 amended Subsecs. (g) and (h) to specify
procedures for payment of outstanding fee balances due and for refunds and added new Subsecs. (k) and (l) re a new
graduated fee schedule to be in effect after July 1, 1993, effective June 23, 1993; P.A. 93-435 made a technical correction,
effective June 28, 1993; P.A. 94-28 amended Subsec. (a) to add the definition of "notice" and amended Subsec. (j) to
provide for payment of fee for filing notice under Subsec. (c) by the party making such certification, effective July 1,
1994; P.A. 95-183 amended Subsec. (a) to change "cost of clean-up" to "cost of remediation", included postremediation
monitoring in such costs and deleted a definition of "notice", amended Subsecs. (b) to (e), (j) and (k) to replace references
to former notices with references to new specific forms and added new Subsecs. (m) and (n) re filing fees after October
1, 1995; P.A. 95-190 amended Subsec. (l) to provide that fees received under this section be deposited into the Special
Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 96-113 amended Subsec. (a) to
provide a more comprehensive definition of "cost of remediation", amended Subsec. (e) to include certain Form II filings
for measures not taken pursuant to an administrative order, amended Subsec. (l) to condition the timing of the initial deposit
of fees into the Special Contaminated Property Remediation and Insurance Fund, designated provisions formerly part of
Subsec. (m) as Subsec. (n), inserted new Subsec. (o) and relettered former Subsec. (n) as Subsec. (p), and made technical
revisions in the text and a minor revision in the fee schedule and procedures, effective May 24, 1996; P.A. 99-216 and
P.A. 99-225 amended Subsecs. (b), (o) and (p) to make technical changes, and P.A. 99-225 further amended section to
add new Subsec. (q) regarding transfers to municipalities under Sec. 12-157, effective June 29, 1999; P.A. 01-204 amended
Subsec. (j) to require fees specified in section to be paid by the certifying party, amended Subsec. (m) to substitute "establishment" for "parcel" and to make a technical change for purposes of gender neutrality and amended Subsec. (p) to substitute
"establishment" for "parcel"; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 revised effective date of P.A. 01-204 but without affecting this
section; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (b) to increase fee for filing a Form I from two hundred to three
hundred dollars and fee for filing a Form II from seven hundred to one thousand fifty dollars, amended Subsec. (m) to
increase initial fee for filing a Form III or IV from two thousand to three thousand dollars, amended Subsec. (n) to increase
total fee for filing a Form III by fifty per cent, and amended Subsec. (o) to increase total fee for filing a Form IV by fifty
per cent, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 05-285 amended Subsec. (1) to delete reference to repealed Sec. 12-63f, effective
July 13, 2005.