The Pollution Liability Insurance Agency (PLIA) provides an effective and efficient government funding model that helps owners and operators meet financial responsibility and environmental cleanup requirements for underground storage tanks.
PLIA is also responsible for:
- Verifying the validity of required declarations of financial responsibility.
- Providing advice and technical assistance, cleanup requirements, and related matters to the owners and operators of heating oil tanks.
- Implementing the Underground Storage Tank Capital Financial Assistance Pilot Program.
Programs
Petroleum Technical Assistance Program
Beginning January 2018, the PTAP will offer customers with qualifying petroleum cleanup sites technical assistance and written opinions on whether a cleanup has met the state’s requirements. The types of opinions provided include:
- No Further Action (NFA) on the Site/Property.
- Further Action (FA) on the Site/Property.
- Partial Sufficiency (PS) of the cleanup.
Applications for the PTAP will be accepted after January 2, 2018.
Underground Storage Tank Reinsurance Program
PLIA makes pollution liability insurance available and affordable to the owners/operators of petroleum underground storage tanks by serving as the reinsurer of insurance policies.
Loan and Grant Program
The Loan and Grant program allows PLIA to provide low interest loans and/or grants to assist owners and operators of petroleum USTs to:
- Upgrade, replace, or remove petroleum underground storage tank systems to prevent future releases, or permanently close a petroleum UST system.
- Remediate a release or threatened release from a petroleum UST system, including investigation and cleanup.
- Upgrade, replace, install new infrastructure or retrofit existing infrastructure at an UST facility for dispensing renewable or alternative energy for motor vehicles, including electric vehicle charging stations.
Heating Oil
Heating Oil Pollution Liability Insurance Program
PLIA offers this program to provide up to $60,000 of insurance coverage for cleanup of contamination from heating oil tanks that are registered in the program prior to the contamination occurring.
There is no cost to owner’s to register for this coverage.
Heating Oil Advice and Technical Assistance Program
PLIA offers this program to provide technical assistance to the owners and operators of active or abandoned heating oil tanks if contamination resulting from a release is suspected or confirmed.
Assistance regarding administrative and technical requirements may include:
- observation of testing
- site assessment
- reviews of the results of reports
- other appropriate activities
PLIA provides written opinions on the results of testing and assessment and decides whether contamination resulting from a release of heating oil does or does not appear to be a threat to human health and the environment.
You can find more information about PLIA’s programs at www.plia.wa.gov. For program updates, follow them on Twitter @PLIAWA..