Legislative findings. The Legislature finds that:
1. Protection of this state’s environment, particularly its supplies of water, requires the prompt cleaning up of any discharge of petroleum from a storage tank.
2. Federal law and regulations require each operator of a storage tank to show financial responsibility for this purpose, but the capital of smaller operators is too little to meet these requirements and insurance to cover this liability is prohibitively costly for these smaller operators.
3. Free competitive access to the business of distributing petroleum therefore requires a system of funding this liability in which all engaged in the business must participate equitably.
4. The fee imposed by NRS 590.840 is not an excise tax but a fee for engaging in the refining or importation of motor vehicle fuel, diesel fuel of grade number 1, diesel fuel of grade number 2 and heating oil.
Last modified: February 26, 2006