Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act
PUBLIC LAW 102-426--OCT. 19, 1992 106 STAT. 2174
Public Law 102-426
102d Congress
An Act
Oct. 19, 1996, [H.R. 4016]
To amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to require the Federal Government, before termination of Federal activities on any real property owned by the Government, to identify real property where no hazardous substance was stored, released, or disposed of.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act. 42 USC 9601 note.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the "Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act".
42 USC 9620 note.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The closure of certain Federal facilities is having adverse effects on the economies of local communities by eliminating jobs associated with such facilities, and delay in remediation of environmental contamination of real property at such facilities is preventing transfer and private development of such property.
(2) Each department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, in cooperation with local communities, should expeditiously identify real property that offers the greatest opportunity for reuse and redevelopment on each facility under the jurisdiction of the department, agency, or instrumentality where operations are terminating.
(3) Remedial actions, including remedial investigations and feasibility studies, and corrective actions at such Federal facilities should be expedited in a manner to facilitate environmental protection and the sale or transfer of such excess real property for the purpose of mitigating adverse economic effects on the surrounding community.
(4) Each department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, in accordance with applicable law, should make available without delay such excess real property.
(5) In the case of any real property owned by the United States and transferred to another person, the United States Government should remain responsible for conducting any remedial action or corrective action necessary to protect human health and the environment with respect to any hazardous substance or petroleum product or its derivatives, including aviation fuel and motor oil, that was present on such real property at the time of transfer.
69-139 O - 92 (426)
PUBLIC LAW 102-426--OCT. 19, 1992 106 STAT. 2175
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT FOR IDENTIFICATION OF LAND ON WHICH NO HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES OR PETROLEUM PRODUCTS OR THEIR DERIVATIVES WERE STORED, RELEASED, OR DISPOSED OF.
Section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
"(4) IDENTIFICATION OF UNCONTAMINATED PROPERTY.--A) In the case of real property to which this paragraph applies (as set forth in subparagraph (E)), the head of the department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States with jurisdiction over the property shall identify the real property on which no hazardous substances and no petroleum products or their derivatives were known to have been released or disposed of. Such identification shall be based on an investigation of the real property to determine or discover the obviousness of the presence or likely presence of a release or threatened release of any hazardous substance or any petroleum product or its derivatives, including aviation fuel and motor oil, on the real property. The identification shall consist, at a minimum, of a review of each of the following sources of information concerning the current and previous uses of the real property:
"(i) A detailed search of Federal Government records pertaining to the property.
"(ii) Recorded chain of title documents regarding the real property.
"(iii) Aerial photographs that may reflect prior uses of the real property and that are reasonably obtainable through State or local government agencies.
"(iv) A visual inspection of the real property and any buildings, structures, equipment, pipe, pipeline, or other improvements on the real property, and a visual inspection of properties immediately adjacent to the real property.
"(v) A physical inspection of property adjacent to the real property, to the extent permitted by owners or operators of such property.
"(vi) Reasonably obtainable Federal, State, and local government records of each adjacent facility where there has been a release of any hazardous substance or any petroleum product or its derivatives, including aviation fuel and motor oil, and which is likely to cause or contribute to a release or threatened release of any hazardous substance or any petroleum product or its derivatives, including aviation fuel and motor oil, on the real property.
"(vii) Interviews with current or former employees involved in operations on the real property.
Public Information
Such identification shall also be based on sampling, if appropriate under the circumstances. The results of the identification shall be provided immediately to the Administrator and State and local government officials and made available to the public.
"(B) The identification required under subparagraph (A) is not complete until concurrence in the results of the identification is obtained, in the case of real property that is part of a facility on the National Priorities List, from the Administrator, or, in the case of real property that is not part of a facility on the National Priorities List, from the appropriate
PUBLIC LAW 102-426--OCT. 19, 1992 106 STAT. 2176
State official. In the case of a concurrence which is required from a State official, the concurrence is deemed to be obtained if, within 90 days after receiving a request for the concurrence, the State official has not acted (by either concurring or declining to concur) on the request for concurrence.
"(C)(i) Except as provided in clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv), the identification and concurrence required under subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, shall be made at least 6 months before the termination of operations on the real property,
"(ii) In the case of real property described in subparagraph (E)(i)(II) on which operations have been closed or realigned or scheduled for closure or realignment pursuant to a base closure law described in subparagraph (E)(ii)(I) or (E)(ii)(II) by the date of the enactment of the Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act, the identification and concurrence required under subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, shall be made not later than 18 months after such date of enactment.
"(iii) In the case of real property described in subparagraph (E)(i)(II) on which operations are closed or realigned or become scheduled for closure or realignment pursuant to the base closure law described in subparagraph (E)(ii)(II) after the date of the enactment of the Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act, the identification and concurrence required under subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, shall be made not later than 18 months after the date by which a joint resolution disapproving the closure or realignment of the real property under section 2904(b) of such base closure law must be enacted, and such a joint resolution has not been enacted.
"(iv) In the case of real property described in subparagraphs (E)(i)(II) on which operations are closed or realigned pursuant to a base closure law described in subparagraph (E)(ii)(III) or (E)(ii)(IV), the identification and concurrence required under subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, shall be made not later than 18 months after the date on which the real property is selected for closure or realignment pursuant to such a base closure law.
"(D) In the case of the sale or other transfer of any parcel of real property identified under subparagraph (A), the deed entered into for the sale or transfer of such property by the United States to any other person or entity shall contain--
"(i) a covenant warranting that any response action or corrective action found to be necessary after the date of such sale or transfer shall be conducted by the United States; and
"(ii) a clause granting the United States access to the property in any case in which a response action or corrective action is found to be necessary after such date at such property, or such access is necessary to carry out a response action or corrective action on adjoining property
"(E)(i) This paragraph applies to--
"(I) real property owned by the United States and on which the United States plans to terminate Federal Government operations, other than real property described in subclause (II); and
PUBLIC LAW 102-426--OCT. 19, 1992 106 STAT. 2177
"(II) real property that is or has been used as a military installation and on which the United States plans to close or realign military operations pursuant to a base closure law.
"(ii) For purposes of this paragraph, the term ‘base closure law' includes the following:
"(I) Title II of the Defense Authorization Amendments and Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public Law 100-526; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note).
"(II) The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101-510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note).
"(III) Section 2687 of title 10, United States Code.
"(IV) Any provision of law authorizing the closure or realignment of a military installation enacted on or after the date of enactment of the Community Environmental Response Facilitation Act.
"(F) Nothing in this paragraph shall affect, preclude, or otherwise impair the termination of Federal Government operations on real property owned by the United States."
SEC. 4. CLARIFICATION OF COVENANT WARRANTING THAT REMEDIAL ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN.
(a) CLARIFICATION.--Paragraph (3) of section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)(3)) is amended by adding after the last sentence of such paragraph the following: "For purposes of subparagraph (B)(i), all remedial action described in such subparagraph has been taken if the construction and installation of an approved remedial design has been completed, and the remedy has been demonstrated to the Administrator to be operating properly and successfully. The carrying out of long-term pumping and treating, or operation and maintenance, after the remedy has been demonstrated to the Administrator to be operating properly and successfully does not preclude the transfer of the property.".
(b) ACCESS TO PROPERTY.--Paragraph (3) of such section is further amended--
(1) by striking out ", and" at the end of subparagraph (A)(iii) and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon;
(2) by striking out the period at the end of subparagraph (B)(ii) and inserting in lieu thereof "; and"; and
(3) by adding after subparagraph (B) the following new subparagraph:
"(C) a clause granting the United States access to the property in any case in which remedial action or corrective action is found to be necessary after the date of such transfer.".
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT TO NOTIFY STATES OF CERTAIN LEASES.
Section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)), as amended by section 3, is further amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
"(5) NOTIFICATION OF STATES REGARDING CERTAIN LEASES.--In the case of real property owned by the United States, on which any hazardous substance or any petroleum product or its derivatives (including aviation fuel and motor oil) was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or disposed
PUBLIC LAW 102-426--OCT. 19, 1992 106 STAT. 2178
of, and on which the United States plans to terminate Federal Government operations, the head of the department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States with jurisdiction over the property shall notify the State in which the property is located of any lease entered into by the United States that will encumber the property beyond the date of termination of operations on the property. Such notification shall be made before entering into the lease and shall include the length of the lease, the name of person to whom the property is leased, and a description of the uses that will be allowed under the lease of the property and buildings and other structures on the property.".
Approved October 19, 1992.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY -- H.R. 4016:
HOUSE REPORTS: Nos. 102-814 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce) and 102-986 (Comm. Of Conference).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992):
Aug. 10, considered and passed House.
Sept. 18, considered and passed Senate, amended.
Oct. 5, Senate and House agreed to conference report.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 28 (1992):
Oct. 19, Presidential statement.