(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), this
chapter shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of
that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, which is
enacted before January 1, 2026, deletes or extends that date.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), Article 1 (commencing with
Section 25299.10), Article 2 (commencing with Section 25299.11), and
Article 4 (commencing with Section 25299.36) shall not be repealed
and shall remain in effect on January 1, 2026.
(c) The repeal of certain portions of this chapter does not
terminate any of the following rights, obligations, or authorities,
or any provision necessary to carry out these rights and obligations:
(1) The filing and payment of claims against the fund, including
the costs specified in subdivisions (c), (e), and (h) of Section
25299.51, claims filed under Section 25299.50.3, and claims for
commingled plumes, as specified in Article 11 (commencing with
Section 25299.90), until the moneys in the fund are exhausted. Upon
exhaustion of the fund, any remaining claims shall be invalid.
(2) The repayment of loans, outstanding as of January 1, 2026, due
and payable to the board.
(3) The recovery of moneys reimbursed to a claimant to which the
claimant is not entitled, or the resolution of any cost recovery
action.
(4) The collection of unpaid fees that are imposed pursuant to
Article 5 (commencing with Section 25299.40), as that article read on
December 31, 2025, or have become due before January 1, 2026,
including any interest or penalties that accrue before, on, or after
January 1, 2026, associated with those unpaid fees.
(5) (A) The filing of an application for funds from, and the
making of payments from, the Underground Storage Tank Petroleum
Contamination Orphan Site Cleanup Fund pursuant to Section
25299.50.2, any action for the recovery of moneys paid pursuant to
Section 25299.50.2 to which the recipient is not entitled, and the
resolution of that cost recovery action.
(B) Upon liquidation of funds in the Underground Storage Tank
Petroleum Contamination Orphan Site Cleanup Fund, the obligation to
make a payment from the Underground Storage Tank Petroleum
Contamination Orphan Site Cleanup Fund is terminated.
(6) (A) The payment of loans and grants, consistent with the terms
of agreements that were effective prior to January 1, 2026, from the
Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund, pursuant to this chapter or
the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Financing Account pursuant to
Chapter 6.76 (commencing with Section 25299.100). Upon exhaustion of
the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund, any remaining claims for
payment of grants or loans shall be invalid.
(B) The amount of money disbursed for grants and loans pursuant to
Chapter 6.76 (commencing with Section 25299.100) shall not exceed
the sum of the following:
(i) The amount that reverts to the Underground Storage Tank
Cleanup Fund pursuant to Section 25299.111.
(ii) Amounts recovered through the repayment of loans granted
pursuant to Chapter 6.76 (commencing with Section 25299.100).
(iii) The resolution of any cost recovery action filed prior to
January 1, 2026, or the initiation of an action or other collection
process to recover defaulted loan moneys due to the board or to
recover money paid to a grant or loan recipient pursuant to Chapter
6.76 (commencing with Section 25299.100) to which the recipient is
not entitled.
(7) (A) The imposition and collection of civil liability pursuant
to Article 7 (commencing with Section 25299.70), as that article read
on December 31, 2025.
(B) Subparagraph (A) shall not be construed as extending or
modifying any applicable statute of limitations.
(d) The board shall continuously post and update on its Internet
Web site, but at a minimum, annually on or before September 30,
information that describes the status of the fund and shall make
recommendations, when appropriate, to improve the efficiency of the
program.
To ensure that the phase out of the Underground Storage
Tank Cleanup Fund program, as provided in Section 25299.81, is
achieved in an orderly manner that enables owners and operators to
maintain continuous coverage for financial responsibility obligations
required by Sections 25292.2 and 25299.31 and the federal act, the
board shall take the following actions:
(a) The board shall not accept claim applications submitted to the
fund pursuant to Section 25299.57 or 25299.58 after January 1, 2025,
unless the board finds that the unauthorized release that is the
subject of the claim was discovered before January 1, 2025, and the
submission of a claim application by that date was beyond the
claimant's reasonable control.
(b) The board shall not accept requests for reimbursements
submitted to the fund pursuant to Section 25299.57 or 25299.58 after
July 1, 2025.