Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on June 14, 2006, to create a (new) leaking underground fuel storage tank cleanup subsidy program, which would provide grants of up to $50,000 to cover up to 80 percent of the cost of a cleanup. This bill and Senate Bill 1260 authorize the transfer of $60 million for the purpose from the state fund that receives revenue from a 7/8ths cent-per-gallon "regulatory fee" (tax) imposed on the sale of petroleum products, which was originally intended for the cleanup of underground fuel storage tanks. In 2004, Public Act 390 extended the sunset on this motor fuel tax (previously scheduled to end on Oct. 1, 2004) until 2011, and used $43 million from the underground fuel tank cleanup fund to avoid making spending cuts in the 2005 budget

The vote was 104 in favor, 0 opposed and 3 not voting

(House Roll Call 767 at House Journal 64)

Click here to view bill details.

The big oil companies have been waiting for this. How can we make sure the money gets spread around to the small operations also?

Please note that this is another tax increase. This program should have had plenty of time to resolve the issue of LUST (leaking underground storage tanks). I think this first started in the '80s. Once you start a tax, it never ends, even when the need for it ends.

The last one started in 1989 and went broke in 1995 leaving a lot of the owners paying out of their own pocket. It wouldn't be that bad but many of them did not get private clean up insurance as required by law, because the state's fund statisfied that requirement. It would be like your house burning down, then the insurance company gives you a fraction of the cost then goes broke. I too had hoped that the program will just go away, but it hasn't so hopefully small business can use it to clean up some sites that the last state program failed to do.