{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-302","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 17, § 17-302","heading":"Legislative intent - Public policy","body":"A. The Legislature finds that the release of regulated\n\nsubstances from storage tanks into the surface water, groundwater,\n\nair and subsurface soils of this state poses a potential threat to\n\nthe environment, health, safety and welfare of the residents of this\n\nstate.\n\nTherefore the Legislature declares it is the public policy of\n\nthis state to protect the public health, safety, welfare, and the\n\nenvironment from the potential harmful effects of storage tanks used\n\nto store regulated substances. The Legislature acknowledges that\n\ncertain statutory enactments regarding petroleum storage tank\n\nsystems are set forth in other titles. To that extent and to\n\neffectuate consolidation, storage tank system inspections and the\n\nregulation of antifreeze are included in the Oklahoma Petroleum\n\nStorage Tank Consolidation Act. In order to implement this policy,\n\nit is the intent of the Legislature to consolidate programs for the\n\nregulation of storage tank systems, antifreeze, inspections and\n\nIndemnity Fund compensation for eligible petroleum storage tank\n\nreleases; and that the regulation of spills and releases from\n\npetroleum storage tanks, oversight of petroleum storage tank\n\nenvironmental corrective action, and the reimbursement of claims for\n\ncosts incurred for petroleum storage tank environmental corrective\n\naction be administered by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission\n\nPetroleum Storage Tank Division.\n\nB. The purpose of the Oklahoma Petroleum Storage Tank\n\nConsolidation Act is to provide for the administration of the\n\nvarious programs within the Oklahoma Corporation Commission\n\nregulating the release or spilling of regulated substances from\n\npetroleum storage tanks and to utilize financial resources for\n\npetroleum storage regulatory services, administration and\n\nreimbursement of claims for environmental corrective action by the\n\nPetroleum Storage Tank Indemnity Fund.\n\nC. The provisions of this act shall be applicable to all\n\ncurrent, pending, past and future contracts, claims and cases within\n\nthe jurisdiction of the Petroleum Storage Tank Division; provided,\n\nthat this subsection shall not apply to, nor be construed to\n\nauthorize or permit the reopening or review of, the underlying claim\n\nor claims of any cases which were formally settled pursuant to a\n\nformal settlement agreement or which a final order was entered by\n\nthe Corporation Commission. Further, the provisions of this act\n\nshall not change or modify the terms of purchase order agreements\n\nentered into prior to the effective date of this act.\n\nD. In addition, to provide that petroleum storage tank\n\nregulatory concerns of industry and the public shall be addressed in\n\nan expedient manner, the Legislature further finds that:\n\n1. Significant quantities of regulated substances are being\n\nstored in storage tank systems in this state;\n\n2. Spills, leaks and other releases of regulated substances\n\nfrom such storage tank systems have occurred, are occurring and will\n\ncontinue to occur;\n\n3. Such releases often pose a significant threat to the public\n\nhealth and safety, the quality of the water and other natural\n\nresources in this state;\n\n4. Where contamination has occurred, corrective action measures\n\nhave often been delayed for long periods while determination as to\n\nthe liability and extent of liability are made;\n\n5. Such delays result in the continuation and intensification\n\nof the threat to the public health, safety and welfare, in greater\n\ndamage to the environment, and in significantly higher costs to\n\ncontain and remove the contamination;\n\n6. Adequate financial resources must be readily available to\n\nenable owners, operators and other persons to take the corrective\n\naction necessary to investigate and, if necessary, remediate such\n\ncontaminated sites; and\n\n7. Adequate financial resources shall be provided by the\n\npetroleum storage tank program established by the Petroleum Storage\ngher costs to\n\ncontain and remove the contamination;\n\n6. Adequate financial resources must be readily available to\n\nenable owners, operators and other persons to take the corrective\n\naction necessary to investigate and, if necessary, remediate such\n\ncontaminated sites; and\n\n7. Adequate financial resources shall be provided by the\n\npetroleum storage tank program established by the Petroleum Storage\n\nTank Indemnity Fund and funded by an assessment on the sale of motor\n\nfuel, diesel fuel and blending materials in this state by a\n\ndistributor.\n\nE. The Legislature declares that, in order to provide for the\n\ninvestigation and, if necessary, remediation of as many contaminated\n\nsites resulting from releases of regulated substances from storage\n\ntank systems as soon as possible, any person eligible for Indemnity\n\nFund reimbursement pursuant to the provisions of this act shall be\n\ncompensated for certain allowable costs incurred in connection with\n\ncorrective action, subject to the conditions specified by Sections\n\n301 through 348.9 of this title.","path":["OK Code","Title 17"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os17.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"02ded71a88a28d194c5d659f2efbdd9aee4e1a14d90208065c8dc49f8288469a","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-301","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-303"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}