Are funds available for private parties to cleanup petroleum spill sites?
State or Federal funds are not available to responsible parties or potential responsible parties for cleaning up properties contaminated with petroleum. Responsible parties are legally obligated to pay for cleanups themselves. Where the responsible party is unknown or unable to pay for a cleanup that DEC considers necessary to prevent risking public health or the environment, DEC generally finances the cleanup through the “New York Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund” or the “Leaking Underground Storage Tank Fund,” but in such cases, the State would pursue measures to recover its costs from the responsible party as well as interest and penalties. For more information on the New York Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund, see the Office of the State Comptroller’s Oil Spill Fund.
