S.C. Code Regs. § § 61-92.280.H.95

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 10, October 25, 2024

Section 61-92.280.H.95 - FINANCIAL TEST OF SELF-INSURANCE

(a) An owner or operator, and/or guarantor, may satisfy the requirements of Section 280.93 by passing a financial test as specified in this section. To pass the financial test of self-insurance, the owner or operator, and/or guarantor must meet the criteria of paragraph (b) or (c) of this section based on year-end financial statements for the latest completed fiscal year.

(b)

(1) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must have a tangible net worth of at least ten times:

(i) The total of the applicable aggregate amount required by Section 280.93, based on the number of USTs for which a financial test is used to demonstrate financial responsibility to EPA under this section or to the Department;

(ii) The sum of the corrective action cost estimates, the current closure and post-closure care cost estimates, and amount of liability coverage for which a financial test is used to demonstrate financial responsibility to EPA under 40 CFR Parts 264.101, 264.143, 264.145, 265.143, 265.145, 264.147, and 265.147 and to the Department (subsequent to authorization by EPA under 40 CFR Part 271); and

(iii) The sum of current plugging and abandonment cost estimates for which a financial test is used to demonstrate financial responsibility to EPA under 40 CFR Part 144.63 and to the Department (subsequent to authorization by EPA under 40 CFR Part 145).

(2) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must have a tangible net worth of at least $10 million.

(3) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must have a letter signed by the chief financial officer worded as specified in paragraph (d) of this section.

(4) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must either:

(i) File financial statements annually with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Energy Information Administration, or the Rural Utilities Service; or

(ii) Report annually the firm's tangible net worth to Dun and Bradstreet, and Dun and Bradstreet must have assigned the firm a financial strength rating of 4A or 5A.

(5) The firm's year-end financial statements, if independently audited, cannot include an adverse auditor's opinion, a disclaimer of opinion, or a "going concern" qualification.

(c)

(1) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor must meet the financial test requirements of 40 CFR 264.147(f)(1), substituting the appropriate amounts specified in Sections 280.93(b)(1) and (2) for the "amount of liability coverage" each time specified in that section.

(2) The fiscal year-end financial statements of the owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must be examined by an independent certified public accountant and be accompanied by the accountant's report of the examination.

(3) The firm's year-end financial statements cannot include an adverse auditor's opinion, a disclaimer of opinion, or a "going concern" qualification.

(4) The owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must have a letter signed by the chief financial officer, worded as specified in paragraph (d) of this section.

(5) If the financial statements of the owner or operator, and/or guarantor, are not submitted annually to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Energy Information Administration or the Rural Utilities Service, the owner or operator, and/or guarantor, must obtain a special report by an independent certified public accountant stating that:

(i) He has compared the data that the letter from the chief financial officer specifies as having been derived from the latest year-end financial statements of the owner or operator, and/or guarantor, with the amounts in such financial statements; and

(ii) In connection with that comparison, no matters came to his attention which caused him to believe that the specified data should be adjusted.

(d) To demonstrate that it meets the financial test under paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, the chief financial officer of the owner or operator, or guarantor, must sign, within 120 days of the close of each financial reporting year, as defined by the twelve-month period for which financial statements used to support the financial test are prepared, a letter worded exactly as follows, except that the instructions in brackets are to be replaced by the relevant information and the brackets deleted:

LETTER FROM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

I am the chief financial officer of [insert: name and address of the owner or operator, or guarantor]. This letter is in support of the use of [insert: "the financial test of self-insurance," and/or "guarantee"] to demonstrate financial responsibility for [insert: "taking corrective action" and/or "compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage"] caused by [insert: "sudden accidental releases" or "nonsudden accidental releases" or "accidental releases"] in the amount of at least [insert: dollar amount] per occurrence and [insert: dollar amount] annual aggregate arising from operating (an) underground storage tank(s).

Underground storage tanks at the following South Carolina facilities are assured by this financial test by this [insert: "owner or operator," and/or "guarantor"]: [List for each facility: the name and address of the facility where tanks assured by this financial test are located, and whether tanks are assured by this financial test. If separate mechanisms or combinations of mechanisms are being used to assure any of the tanks at this facility, list each tank assured by this financial test by the tank identification number provided in the notification submitted pursuant to R.61-92.280.22.]

A [insert: "financial test," and/or "guarantee"] is also used by this [insert: "owner or operator," or "guarantor"] to demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility in the following amounts under other EPA regulations or state programs authorized by EPA under 40 CFR Parts 271 and 145:

EPA Regulation:	Amount
Closure (Sections 264.143 and 265.143)...............................................	$____
Post-Closure Care (Sections 264.145 and 265.145)................................	$____
Liability Coverage (Sections 264.147 and 265.147).............................	$____
Corrective Action (Section 264.101(b)).............................................	$____
Plugging and Abandonment (Section 144.63)...................................	$____

South Carolina (Subsequent to authorization):	Amount
Closure...................................................................................	$____
Post-Closure Care......................................................................	$____
Liability Coverage.......................................................................	$____
Corrective Action.......................................................................	$____
Plugging and Abandonment.................................................................	$____
TOTAL..........................................................................	$____

This [insert: "owner or operator," or "guarantor"] has not received an adverse opinion, a disclaimer of opinion, or a "going concern" qualification fi-om an independent auditor on his financial statements for the latest completed fiscal year.

[Fill in the information for Alternative I if the criteria of paragraph (b) of Section 280.95 are being used to demonstrate compliance with the financial test requirements. Fill in the information for Alternative II if the criteria of paragraph (c) of Section 280.95 are being used to demonstrate compliance with the financial test requirements.]

ALTERNATIVE I

1. Amount of annual UST aggregate coverage being assured by a financial test, and/or guarantee....................................... $_____

2. Amount of corrective action, closure and post- closure care costs, liability coverage,

and plugging and abandonment costs covered by a financial test, and/or$_____

guarantee.......................................

3. Sum of lines 1 and 2....................................... $_____

4. Total tangible assets....................................... $_____

5. Total liabilities [if any of the amount reported on line 3 is included in total liabilities, you may deduct that amount from this line and add that amount to Une 6]$_____

6. Tangible net worth [subtract line 5 from line 4]....................................... $_____

Yes No

7. Is line 6 at least $10 million?....................................... ___ ___

8. Is line 6 at least 10 times line 3?....................................... ___ ___

9. Have financial statements for the latest fiscal year been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission?....................................... ___ ___

10. Have financial statements for the latest fiscal year been filed with the Energy Information Administration?....................................... ___ ___

11. Have financial statements for the latest fiscal year been filed with the Rural Utilities Service?....................................... ___ ___

12. Has financial information been provided to Dun and Bradstreet, and has Dun and Bradstreet provided a financial strength rating of 4A or 5A? ___ ___

[Answer ''Yes'' only if both criteria have been met.] .......................................

ALTERNATIVE II

1. Amount of annual UST aggregate coverage being assured by a financial test, $ _____

and/or guarantee ............................................

2. Amount of corrective action, closure and post-closure care costs, liability $ _____

coverage, and plugging and abandonment costs covered by a financial test, and/or guarantee ............................................

3. Sum of lines 1 and 2 ............................................ $ _____

4. Total tangible assets ............................................ $ _____

5. Total liabilities [if any of the amount reported on line 3 is included in total $ _____

liabilities, you may deduct that amount from this line and add that amount to line 6] ............................................

6. Tangible net worth [subtract line 5 from line 4] $ _____

7. Total assets in the U.S. [required only if less than 90 percent of assets are located $ _____

in the U.S.] ............................................

Yes No

8. Is line 6 at least $10 million? ............................................ ___ ___

9. Is line 6 at least 6 times line 3? ............................................ ___ ___

___ ___

10. Are at least 90 percent of assets located in the U.S.? [If ''No,'' complete line 11.] ............................................

11. Is line 7 at least 6 times line 3? ............................................ ___ ___

[Fill in either lines 12-15 or lines 16-18:]

12. Current assets ............................................ $ _____

13. Current liabilities ............................................ $ _____

14. Net working capital [subtract line 13 from line 12] ............................................ $ _____

Yes No

15. Is line 14 at least 6 times line 3? ............................................ ___ ___

16. Current bond rating of most recent bond issue ............................................ _____

17. Name of rating service ............................................ ______

18. Date of maturity of bond ............................................ ______

19. Have financial statements for the latest fiscal year been filed with the SEC, the Energy ______

Information Administration, or the Rural Utilities Service? ............................................

[If "No," please attach a report from an independent certified public accountant certifying that there are no material differences between the data as reported in lines 4-18 above and the financial statements for the latest fiscal year.]

[For both Alternative I and Alternative II complete the certification with this statement.]

I hereby certify that the wording of this letter is identical to the wording specified in R.61-92.280.95(d) as such regulations were constituted on the date shown immediately below.

[Signature]

[Name]

[Title]

[Date]

(e) If an owner or operator using the test to provide financial assurance finds that he or she no longer meets the requirements of the financial test based on the year-end financial statements, the owner or operator must obtain alternative coverage within 150 days of the end of the year for which financial statements have been prepared.

(f) The Department may require reports of financial condition at any time from the owner or operator, and/or guarantor. If the Department finds, on the basis of such reports or other information, that the owner or operator, and/or guarantor, no longer meets the financial test requirements of Section 280.95(b) or (c) and (d), the owner or operator must obtain alternate coverage within 30 days after notification of such a finding.

(g) If the owner or operator fails to obtain alternate assurance within 150 days of finding that he or she no longer meets the requirements of the financial test based on the year-end financial statements, or within 30 days of notification by the Department that he or she no longer meets the requirements of the financial test, the owner or operator must notify the Department of such failure within 10 days.

S.C. Code Regs. § 61-92.280.H.95

Added by State Register Volume 19, Issue No. 9, eff September 22, 1995; State Register Volume 41, Issue No. 05, eff. 5/26/2017.