Aug 01 2011
Low Score Site Initiative (LSSI)
Handex Consulting & Remediation – Southeast, LLC (HCR), more notably our Director, Irv Heath, has been diligently working with the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association (FPMA) and their attorneys, while serving as the FPMA Chair of the Environmental Committee. The long awaited Low Score Site Initiative (LSSI) was finally passed in the Florida Legislature on November 16, 2010.
Effective November 17, 2010, any site with a priority ranking score of 10 points or less may voluntarily participate in LSSI, whether or not the site is eligible for state restoration funding. The great news for business and property owners is that sites that are eligible for state restoration funding may receive payment of pre-approved costs, including 6 months of groundwater monitoring, not to exceed $30,000 for each site. Up to $10 million per fiscal year will be made available, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Through the assessment process, if the site meets the specified criteria, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) shall issue a determination of “No Further Action” acknowledging that minimal contamination is detected, the FDEP may issue a site rehabilitation completion order.
The intent of the LSSI program is to eliminate sites from the program; not fully assess the sites. FDEP expects most sites to not require anywhere near $30,000 to get to closure. Assessments will be streamlined to collect only enough data to determine if the site will qualify for Site Rehabilitation Completion Order (SRCO), No Further Action (NFA), or No Further Action with Conditions (NFAC). At the end of the first event the site owner will have an opportunity and be required to review the initial assessment data with the contractor and decide if they want to proceed toward an SRCO, NFA, or NFAC. The interim deliverable will include a signed document by the property owner on which path they choose. If a site does not qualify for closure based on site conditions, then no deductibles will be collected and the site will go back onto the pre-approval list for future funding based on the score and funding thresholds.
The benefits for site and business owners that participate in the LSSI program include obtaining valuable information about the property for little to no cost to the site owner, potentially increasing the property’s value, as well as the closure from the site assessments that removes an “environmental cloud” from the property’s value.
LSSI is providing to be one more value added service for our clients here at HCR. For more information about LSSI, please do not hesitate to contact HCR with any questions.
Handex Consulting & Remediation, LLC
Corporate Office: 321.441.9801
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