(A) There is created in the state treasury a separate and distinct account called the "Drycleaning Facility Restoration Trust Fund", revenue for which must be collected and enforced by the Department of Revenue, and the fund must be administered by the department and expended for the purposes of this article. However, the department may contract for the administration of the fund or any part of the administration of the fund. Judgments, recoveries, reimbursements, loans, surcharges and fees imposed and collected pursuant to this article except for administrative costs retained by the Department of Revenue, and other fees and charges related to the implementation of this article must be credited to the fund. Payments made out of the fund must be made in accordance with the provisions of this article. The State accepts no financial responsibility as a result of the creation of the fund. The creation of the fund creates no burden upon the State to provide monies for the fund by any mechanisms other than as provided in this article. The State may recover to the fund any disbursements from the fund which were not utilized in accordance with this article.

(B) The board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control shall establish a moratorium on administrative and judicial actions by the department concerning drycleaning facilities and wholesale supply facilities resulting from the release of drycleaning solvent to soil or waters of the State. This moratorium applies only to those sites deemed eligible as defined in § 44-56-470. The board may review and determine the appropriateness of the moratorium as needed. The review by the board must include, but is not limited to, consideration of these factors:

(1) the solvency of the fund as described in this article;

(2) prioritization of the sites;

(3) public health concerns related to the sites;

(4) eligibility of the sites; and

(5) corrective action plans submitted to the department. After review, the board may suspend all or a portion of the moratorium if necessary.

(C) If incidents of contamination by drycleaning solvent related to the operation of an eligible contaminated site pose a threat to the environment or the public health, safety, or welfare, the department may expend monies available in the fund to provide for:

(1) the prompt investigation and assessment of the contaminated sites; however, the owner or operator of a drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility or a property owner shall pay for the cost of the investigation and assessment up to the amount of the owner’s, operator’s, or property owner’s deductible, and the department only shall provide monies that exceed the owner’s, operator’s, or property owner’s deductible;

(2) the expeditious treatment, restoration, or replacement of potable water supplies;

(3) the remediation including the operation maintenance and monitoring of eligible contaminated sites, which consist of remediation of affected soil, groundwater, and surface waters, using the most cost-effective alternative that is reliable and feasible technologically and that provides adequate protection of the public health, safety, and welfare and minimizes environmental damage in accordance with the site selection;

(4) the expenses of administering the fund by the department including the employment of department staff to carry out the department’s duties described in this article; however, the department may exclude five percent of the average annual collections of the fund or the amount required to fund four employees and the administrative costs associated with these employees, whichever is greater.

(D) The fund may not be used to:

(1) pay for activities in subsection (C) if the activities at a site are or were not related to the operation of a drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility;

(2) pay for activities in subsection (C) if the activities are for a contaminated site that is proposed for listing or is listed on the State Priority List or on the National Priority List pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, or any site that is required to obtain a permit pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended;

(3) pay any costs associated with a fine, penalty, or action brought against the owner or operator of a drycleaning facility or wholesale supply facility or a property owner under local, state, or federal law;

(4) pay for activities in subsection (C) if the costs were incurred before July 1, 1995;

(5) pay any costs to landscape or otherwise artificially improve a contaminated site;

(6) pay for activities in subsection (C) where the costs were incurred before the actual date of the first payment of registration fees for the site pursuant to § 44-56-440(B);

(7) pay any costs for work not approved by the department in accordance with this article or regulations promulgated pursuant to this article;

(8) pay for activities in subsection (C) at sites that are uniform rental and linen supply facilities unless the site was operated on or after July 1, 1995, as a drycleaning facility for garments or fabrics belonging to the public and has participated in the fund;

(9) pay for activities in subsection (C) at sites that are no longer operated as drycleaning facilities or coin-operated drycleaning facilities unless they qualify pursuant to § 44-56-470(C);

(10) pay any costs that may be associated with, but are not integral to, site assessment and/or remediation; and

(11) pay for activities in subsection (C) at a drycleaning facility that has been contaminated as a result of a release by a wholesale supplier during the delivery of drycleaning solvent until it has first been remediated by the full amount of the wholesale supplier’s insurance.