RULES AND REGULATIONS
Title 25--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
INSURANCE DEPARTMENT
[25 PA. CODE CH. 977]
Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund; Owner and Operator Fees
[32 Pa.B. 1515] The Insurance Department (Department) and the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board (Board) amend § 977.12 (relating to owner and operator fees) to read as set forth in Annex A. Sections 206, 506, 1501 and 1502 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. §§ 66, 186, 411 and 412) provide the Insurance Commissioner with the authority to promulgate regulations governing the enforcement of the laws relating to insurance. Public notice of this rulemaking is impractical and unnecessary because the proposed amendment is needed to ensure the solvency of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund (Fund) and any input from the public would not decrease the necessity to increase the fees collected.
Notice of proposed rulemaking is omitted in accordance with section 204(3) of the act of July 31, 1968 (P. L. 769, No. 240) (45 P. S. § 1204(3)), known as the Commonwealth Documents Law (CDL). In accordance with section 204(3) of the CDL, notice of proposed rulemaking may be omitted when the agency for good cause finds that public notice of its intention to amend an administrative regulation is, under the circumstances, impracticable and unnecessary.
Purpose
The final-omitted rulemaking will bring the fees to the appropriate levels as recommended by an actuarial report that was completed on October 18, 2001. After reviewing this report, the Board determined that this increase is necessary to maintain the solvency of the Fund for the public health and safety of this Commonwealth's citizens and their environment. The actuarial study, performed by MMC Enterprise Risk Consulting, Inc., determined that an increase in the gallon and capacity fees was necessary to maintain the actuarial soundness of the Fund in the future.
Explanation of Regulatory Requirements
Section 977.12 is being amended to reflect the fees that the actuary recommended in the report.
Fiscal Impact
An owner or operator transacting business in this Commonwealth will be affected by this final-omitted rulemaking. However, any fiscal impact will be minimal, as the increases still result in very low fees in relation to the benefits provided by the Fund to the owners and operators.
The costs that local governments are currently paying will increase by approximately $79,000 per quarter. Because local governments currently pay the gallon fee to the distributor and the capacity fee directly to the Fund, the only change will be a larger fee.
Commonwealth-owned tanks are exempt from all Fund fees.
General Public
Because the public is a consumer of goods and services provided by owners and operators of an underground storage tank (UST) or a heating oil tank (HOT), any increase to the fees could result in higher prices to consumers. However, it is expected that this increase in fees will only result in an additional 4¢ per month to motorists, in accordance with a survey on vehicle fuel consumption and expenditures by United States' households, conducted by the Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use.
The increase will keep the Fund solvent after an actuarial study completed in November 2001 indicated the need for additional revenue, to maintain the Fund's actuarial soundness.
Effectiveness/Sunset Date
This final-omitted rulemaking will become effective April 1, 2002.
Paperwork
Adoption of this final-omitted rulemaking should not require any significant paperwork for the owners or operators of USTs or HOTs. The paperwork necessary after the increase is expected to be the same as before the increase was implemented.
Persons Regulated
This final-omitted rulemaking applies to all owners or operators of USTs and HOTs in this Commonwealth.
Contact Person
Questions regarding the final-omitted rulemaking may be addressed to Peter J. Salvatore, Regulatory Coordinator, Insurance Department, 1326 Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120, (717) 787-4429. Questions may also be e-mailed to psalvatore@state.pa.us or faxed to (717) 772-1969.
Regulatory Review
Under section 5.1(c) of the Regulatory Review Act (71 P. S. § 745.5a(c)), on February 7, 2002, the Department submitted copies of this final-omitted rulemaking to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) and to the Chairpersons of the House Committee on Insurance and the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance. On the same date, the final-omitted rulemaking was submitted to the Office of the Attorney General for review and approval under the Commonwealth Attorneys Act (71 P. S. §§ 732-101--732-506).
Under section 5.1(d) of the Regulatory Review Act, on February 27, 2002, this final-omitted rulemaking was deemed approved by the House and Senate Committees. The Attorney General approved the final-omitted rulemaking on February 26, 2002. Under section 5.1(e) of the Regulatory Review Act, on March 7, 2002, IRRC met and approved this final-omitted rulemaking.
Findings
The Commissioner finds that:
(1) There is good cause to amend § 977.12, effective upon publication with the proposed rulemaking omitted. Deferral of the effective date of the final-omitted rulemaking would be impractical and not serve the public interest. Under section 204(3) of the CDL, there is no purpose to be served by deferring the effective date. An immediate effective date will best serve the public interest by ensuring that fees have the full potential that the actuarial study predicted.
(2) There is good cause to forego public notice of the intention to amend § 977.12 because notice of the amendment under the circumstances is unnecessary and impractical because the amendments proposed are necessary to ensure the solvency of the Fund and any input from the public would not decrease the necessity to increase the fees collected.
Order
The Commissioner, acting under the authority in sections 206, 506, 1501 and 1502 of The Administrative Code of 1929, orders that:
(1) The regulations of the Department, 25 Pa. Code Chapter 977, are amended by amending § 977.12 to read as set forth in Annex A.
(2) The Department shall submit this order and Annex A to the Office of Attorney General and the Office of General Counsel for approval as to form and legality as required by law.
(3) The Department shall certify this order and Annex A and deposit them with the Legislative Reference Bureau as required by law.
(4) This order shall take effect April 1, 2002.
M. DIANE KOKEN,
CommissionerE. BRUCE SHELLER,
Chair, Underground Storage
Tank Indemnification Board(Editor's Note: For the text of the order of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission relating to this document, see 32 Pa.B. 1590 (March 23, 2002).)
Fiscal Note: 11-214. No fiscal impact; (8) recommends adoption.
Annex A
TITLE 25. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
PART VIII. UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK INDEMNIFICATION BOARD
CHAPTER 977. UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK INDEMNIFICATION FUND
Subchapter B. FEES AND COLLECTION PROCEDURES § 977.12. Owner and operator fees.
(a) Annual fees. The Board may charge fees established in this section, based on an annual actuarial review.
(b) Tank and gallon fees. A UST owner or operator storing gasoline, new motor oil, hazardous substances, gasohol, aviation fuel, mixture, farm diesel and other types of substances based on the tank registration information maintained by the DEP may be assessed the following fees:
(1) Tank fee. A tank fee of $0 per UST per year.
(2) Gallon fee. A gallon fee on all regulated substances entering a UST of $.0010 per gallon (For example, 10,000 gallons at $.0010 per gallon equals $10).
(c) Nonretail bulk storage. Total fees paid by an owner or operator of a nonretail bulk storage or wholesale distribution UST storing gasoline are established using the method described in subsection (b) and are capped at $5,000 per UST per year in accordance with section 705(d)(3) of the act (35 P. S. § 6021.705(d)(3)).
(d) Capacity fee. An owner or operator which stores regulated substances including diesel, heating oil, used motor oil, kerosene and unknown substances based on the tank registration information maintained by the DEP may be assessed a capacity fee of $.02 per gallon of capacity, which amount is established in accordance with section 705(d)(2) of the act. (For example, 10,000 gallons at $.02 per gallon equals $200).
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 02-455. Filed for public inspection March 22, 2002, 9:00 a.m.]
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