75-10-728. Remedial action costs. (1) If a potentially liable person or assignee recovers remedial action costs at a particular site from a financially responsible party, reimbursement from the orphan share is proportionally reduced by the amount of remedial action costs recovered, less any litigation expenses, including attorney fees and costs.

Terms Used In Montana Code 75-10-728

  • Department: means the department of environmental quality provided for in 2-15-3501. See Montana Code 75-10-701
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Orphan share: means the percentage share of remedial action costs for a facility that is attributable, under the procedures in 75-10-742 through 75-10-751, to identified but bankrupt or defunct persons who are not an affiliate of any viable person, unless affiliated by stock ownership. See Montana Code 75-10-701
  • Person: means an individual, trust, firm, joint-stock company, joint venture, consortium, commercial entity, partnership, association, corporation, commission, state or state agency, political subdivision of the state, interstate body, or the federal government, including a federal agency. See Montana Code 75-10-701
  • Remedial action: includes all notification, investigation, administration, monitoring, cleanup, restoration, mitigation, abatement, removal, replacement, acquisition, enforcement, legal action, health studies, feasibility studies, and other actions necessary or appropriate to respond to a release or threatened release. See Montana Code 75-10-701
  • Remedial action costs: means reasonable costs that are attributable to or associated with a remedial action at a facility, including but not limited to the costs of administration, investigation, legal or enforcement activities, contracts, feasibility studies, or health studies. See Montana Code 75-10-701

(2)The department may, in defending the orphan share, initiate a court action against a potentially liable party, an affiliate, or another financially responsible party to recover the orphan’s share.