Section 292.51. Cooperative remedial action.

 

(1)  In this section, “costs of remedying environmental contamination" means costs determined by the department to be necessary to reduce or eliminate environmental contamination and restore the environment, including costs of investigation and of providing public information and education related to reducing or eliminating environmental contamination and restoring the environment.

(2)  The department may seek and receive voluntary contributions of funds from a municipality or any other public or private source for all or part of the costs of remedying environmental contamination if the activities being funded are part of a cooperative effort, by the department and the person providing the funds, to remedy that environmental contamination. All contributions received under this subsection shall be deposited in the environmental fund.

(2m)  Any person engaged in a cooperative effort with the department that is described in sub. (2) may seek and receive voluntary contributions of funds on behalf of the effort.

(3)  Provision of funding under sub. (2) or (2m) is not evidence of liability or an admission of liability for any environmental contamination.

(4)  In carrying out its regulatory and enforcement duties, the department may not base its treatment of a person on whether the person did or did not provide funding under sub. (2) .

1995 a. 27 ; 1995 a. 227 s. 824 ; Stats. 1995 s. 292.51; 1997 a. 27 .