Newsletter
EPA GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING STATE COMPENSATION CLAIMS
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Guidelines for Handling State Compensation Cases were passed into law. Under the guidelines, the EPA will establish a State Compensation Claims Handling Committee. The committee will have the following official responsibilities:
negotiating claims for state compensation;
reviewing and negotiating claims where the amount of the claimed compensation exceeds the ceilings under which the EPA's various subordinate agencies are permitted to decide the cases directly on their own authority;
ascertaining which agencies bear responsibility for state compensation;
reviewing and settling cases of claims for state compensation;
other matters concerning state compensation.
The committee will carry out procedural and substantive reviews of claims for state compensation. When compensation are deemed appropriate, it will hold negotiations to decide the amount of the compensation. When claims are refused, it should issue a letter of refusal from the EPA within 15 days of accepting the case. The letter should specify the grounds and legal basis for the refusal and related facts.