| (a) An owner or operator may satisfy the requirements of financial assurance by establishing a financial test that conforms to the requirements of this subchapter. (b) To pass this test, the owner or operator must meet the criteria of either paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection. (1) The owner or operator shall have: (A) two of the following three ratios: a ratio of total liabilities to net worth less than 2.0; a ratio of the sum of net income plus depreciation, depletion, and amortization to total liabilities greater than 0.1; and a ratio of current assets to current liabilities greater than 1.5; (B) net working capital and tangible net worth each at least six times the sum of the current cost estimates, liability coverage requirements, and any other financial assurance obligations under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or other federal or state environmental regulations assured by a financial test; (C) tangible net worth of at least $10 million; and (D) assets located in the United States amounting to at least 90% of the owner's or operator's total assets or at least six times the sum of the current cost estimates, liability coverage requirements, and any other financial assurance obligations under the TCEQ or other federal or state environmental regulations assured by a financial test. (2) The owner or operator shall have: (A) a current rating for his most recent bond issuance of AAA, AA, A, or BBB as issued by Standard and Poor's or Aaa, Aa, A, or Baa as issued by Moody's; (B) tangible net worth at least six times the sum of the current cost estimates, liability coverage requirements, and any other financial assurance obligations under the TCEQ or other federal or state environmental regulations assured by a financial test; (C) tangible net worth of at least $10 million; and (D) assets located in the United States amounting to at least 90% of the owner's or operator's total assets or at least six times the sum of the current cost estimates, liability coverage requirements, and any other financial assurance obligations under the TCEQ or other federal or state environmental regulations assured by a financial test. (c) To demonstrate that the requirements of the test are being met, the owner or operator shall submit the following items to the executive director: (1) a letter signed by the owner's or operator's chief financial officer worded identically to the wording specified in §37.9230 of this title (relating to Financial Test Wording); (2) a copy of the owner's or operator's independently audited year-end financial statements for the latest fiscal year including the "unqualified opinion" of the auditor; (3) a special report from the owner's or operator's independent certified public accountant to the owner or operator stating that: (A) the accountant has compared the data that the letter from the chief financial officer specifies as having been derived from the independently audited, year-end financial statements for the latest fiscal year with the amounts in such financial statements; and (B) in connection with that procedure: (i) such amounts were found to be in agreement; or (ii) no matters came to the attention of the accountant that caused the accountant to believe that the specified data should be adjusted; (4) a written verification of the current bond rating from the applicable bond rating agency, if the owner or operator is using Alternative II of the letter signed by the owner's or operator's chief financial officer specified in §37.9230 of this title; and (5) a schedule identifying intangible assets used to calculate tangible net worth. (d) After the initial submission of items specified in subsection (c) of this section, the owner or operator shall send updated information to the executive director within 90 days after the close of each succeeding fiscal year. This information shall consist of all items specified in subsection (c) of this section. (e) If the owner or operator no longer meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, a notice shall be sent to the executive director of intent to establish alternate financial assurance as specified in this subchapter. The notice must be sent by certified mail within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year for which the year-end financial data shows that the owner or operator no longer meets the requirements. The owner or operator shall provide the alternate financial assurance within 120 days after the end of such fiscal year. (f) The executive director may, based on a reasonable belief that the owner or operator may no longer meet the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, require reports of financial condition at any time from the owner or operator in addition to those specified in subsection (c) of this section. If the executive director finds, on the basis of such reports or other information, that the owner or operator no longer meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, the owner or operator shall provide alternate financial assurance as specified in this subchapter within 30 days after notification of such a finding. (g) The executive director may disallow use of this test on the basis of qualifications in the opinion expressed in the independent certified public accountant's report on examination of the owner's or operator's financial statements. An adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion shall be cause for disallowance. The executive director shall evaluate other qualifications on an individual basis. The owner or operator shall provide alternate financial assurance as specified in this subchapter within 30 days after notification of the disallowance. (h) Owners and operators choosing to meet the financial assurance requirement by using a financial test agree to fund the amount demonstrated for restoration within 60 days of written notification by the executive director to any party or parties specified by the executive director. |
