The underground storage tank advisory committee is continued. The committee is composed of seven members, which shall include a member of the West Virginia petroleum council, a member of the West Virginia service station dealers association, a member of the West Virginia petroleum marketers association, the director, a member of the West Virginia manufacturers association, the West Virginia Insurance Commissioner, and a representative from the citizenry-at-large who is appointed by the Governor.

The committee is advisory to the director and the Division of Environmental Protection regarding the expenditure of funds from the leaking underground storage tank response fund and the underground storage tank insurance fund created by this article. The director shall deliver to the committee annually a report on expenditures made from each fund. The committee shall consider any matter brought before it by the director or any member of the committee and may consider any matter referred to it by a person not a member of the committee. At the conclusion of its consideration of any proposal, the committee shall make its recommendation to the director. The director is not bound by any recommendations of the committee. The committee may also formulate general or long-range plans for improvements in the administration of the funds for the consideration of the director.

By the second Wednesday of January of each year the committee shall prepare and deliver to the director and to the Legislature a report of all matters it considered, recommendations it made and plans it formulated during the preceding calendar year. The report shall include any recommendation it may have for changes in the law which would be necessary to implement any of its administrative recommendations.