Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 65-34,120

  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Corrective action: means those activities described in subsection (a) of Kan. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Department: means the department of health and environment. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fund: means the drycleaning facility release trust fund. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
  • Owner: means any person who owns or leases, or has owned or leased, a drycleaning facility and who is or has been responsible for the operation of drycleaning operations at such drycleaning facility. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
  • Person: means individual, partnership, firm, trust, company, association, corporation, individual or individuals having controlling or majority interest in a corporation, institution, political subdivision, state agency or federal department or agency. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
  • Release: means any spill, leak, emission, discharge, escape, leak or disposal of drycleaning solvent from a drycleaning facility into the soils or waters of the state. See Kansas Statutes 65-34,142
  • Secretary: means the secretary of health and environment. See Kansas Statutes 65-3402
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.

(a) Nothing in this act shall establish or create any liability or responsibility on the part of the secretary, the department or its agents or employees or the state of Kansas to pay any corrective action costs from any source other than the respective fund created by this act.

(b) In no event shall the underground fund be liable for the payment of corrective action costs in an amount in excess of the following, less any applicable deductible amounts of the owner or operator:

(1) For costs incurred in response to any one release from an underground petroleum storage tank, $2,000,000;

(2) for an owner or operator of 100 or fewer underground petroleum storage tanks, an annual aggregate of $1,000,000; and

(3) for an owner or operator of more than 100 underground petroleum storage tanks, an annual aggregate of $2,000,000.

(c) In no event shall the aboveground fund be liable for the payment of corrective action costs in an amount in excess of the following, less the deductible amounts of the owner or operator:

(1) For costs incurred in response to any one release from an aboveground petroleum storage tank, $2,000,000;

(2) for an owner or operator of 100 or fewer aboveground petroleum storage tanks, an annual aggregate of $1,000,000; and

(3) for an owner or operator of more than 100 aboveground petroleum storage tanks, an annual aggregate of $2,000,000.

(d) This act is intended to assist an owner or operator only to the extent provided for in this act, and it is in no way intended to relieve the owner or operator of any liability that cannot be satisfied by the provisions of this act.

(e) Neither the secretary nor the state of Kansas shall have any liability or responsibility to make any payments for corrective action if the respective fund created herein is insufficient to do so. In the event the respective fund is insufficient to make the payments at the time the claim is filed, such claims shall be paid in the order of filing at such time as moneys are paid into the respective fund.

(f) No common-law liability, and no statutory liability that is provided in a statute other than in this act, for damages resulting from a release from a petroleum storage tank is affected by this act. The authority, power and remedies provided in this act are in addition to any authority, power or remedy provided in any statute other than a section of this act or provided at common law.

(g) If a person conducts a corrective action activity in response to a release from a petroleum storage tank, whether or not the person files a claim against the respective fund under this act, the claim and corrective action activity conducted are not evidence of liability or an admission of liability for any potential or actual environmental pollution or third-party claim.