Wash. Admin. Code § 173-360A-1086
Trust agreement, the "Agreement," entered into as of [date] by and between [name of the owner or operator], a Washington state [insert "corporation," "partnership," "association," or "proprietorship"], the "Grantor," and [name of corporate trustee], [insert "Incorporated in the state of Washington" or "a national bank"], the "Trustee."
Whereas, the Department of Ecology, "Ecology", an agency of the state of Washington, has established certain regulations applicable to the grantor, requiring that an owner or operator of an underground storage tank must provide assurance that funds will be available when needed for remedial action and third-party compensation for bodily injury and property damage caused by sudden and nonsudden accidental releases arising from the operation of the underground storage tank. The attached Schedule A lists the number of tanks at each facility and the name(s) and addresses of the facility(ies) where the tanks are located that are covered by the [insert "standby" where trust agreement is standby trust agreement] trust agreement.
[Whereas, the Grantor has elected to establish [insert either "a guarantee," "surety bond," or "letter of credit"] to provide all or part of such financial assurance for the underground storage tanks identified herein and is required to establish a standby trust fund able to accept payments from the instrument (This paragraph is only applicable to the standby trust agreement.)];
Whereas, the Grantor, acting through its duly authorized officers, has selected the Trustee to be the trustee under this Agreement, and the Trustee is willing to act as trustee;
Now, therefore, the Grantor and the Trustee agree as follows:
As used in this Agreement:
This Agreement pertains to the [identify the financial assurance mechanism, either a guarantee, surety bond, or letter of credit, from which the standby trust fund is established to receive payments (This paragraph is only applicable to the standby trust agreement.)].
The Grantor and the Trustee hereby establish a trust fund, the "fund," for the benefit of the Washington State Department of Ecology. The Grantor and the Trustee intend that no third party have access to the fund except as herein provided. [The fund is established initially as a standby to receive payments and does not consist of any property.] Payments made by the provider of financial assurance pursuant to the Washington State Department of Ecology's instruction are transferred to the Trustee and are referred to as the fund, together with all earnings and profits thereon, less any payments or distributions made by the Trustee pursuant to this Agreement. The fund must be held by the Trustee, IN TRUST, as thereinafter provided. The Trustee is not responsible nor does it undertake any responsibility for the amount or adequacy of, nor any duty to collect from the Grantor as provider of financial assurance, any payments necessary to discharge any liability of the Grantor established by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The trustee must make payments from the fund as the Washington State Department of Ecology directs, in writing, to provide for the payment of the costs of [insert: "taking remedial action" and/or "compensating third parties for bodily injury and property damage caused by" either "sudden accidental releases" or "nonsudden accidental releases" or "accidental releases"] arising from operating the tanks covered by the financial assurance mechanism identified in this Agreement.
The fund may not be drawn upon to cover any of the following:
The Trustee must reimburse the Grantor, or other persons as specified by the Department from the fund for remedial action expenditures and/or third-party liability claims in such amounts as the Department directs in writing. In addition, the Trustee must refund to the Grantor such amounts as the Department specifies in writing. Upon refund, such funds no longer constitute part of the fund as defined herein.
Payments made to the Trustee for the fund must consist of cash and securities acceptable to the Trustee.
The Trustee must invest and reinvest the principal and income of the fund and keep the fund invested as a single fund, without distinction between principal and income, in accordance with general investment policies and guidelines which the Grantor may communicate in writing to the trustee from time to time, subject, however, to the provisions of this section. In investing, reinvesting, exchanging, selling, and managing the fund, the Trustee must discharge his duties with respect to the trust fund solely in the interest of the beneficiaries and with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing which persons of prudence, acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters, would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like character and with like aims; except that:
The Trustee is expressly authorized in its discretion:
Without in any way limiting the powers and discretions conferred upon the Trustee by the other provisions of this Agreement or by law, the Trustee is expressly authorized and empowered:
All taxes of any kind that may be assessed or levied against or in respect of the fund and all brokerage commissions incurred by the fund must be paid from the fund. All other expenses incurred by the Trustee in connection with the administration of this trust, including fees for legal services rendered to the Trustee, the compensation of the Trustee to the extent not paid directly by the Grantor, and all other proper charges and disbursements of the Trustee must be paid from the fund.
The Trustee may from time to time consult with counsel, who may be counsel to the Grantor, with respect to any questions arising as to the construction of this Agreement or any action to be taken hereunder. The Trustee is fully protected, to the extent permitted by law, in acting upon the advice of counsel.
The Trustee is entitled to reasonable compensation for its services as agreed upon in writing from time to time with the Grantor.
The Trustee may resign or the Grantor may replace the Trustee, but such resignation or replacement is not effective until the Grantor has appointed a successor trustee and this successor accepts the appointment. The successor trustee has the same powers and duties as those conferred upon the Trustee hereunder. Upon the successor trustee's acceptance of the appointment, the Trustee must assign, transfer, and pay over to the successor trustee the funds and properties then constituting the fund. If for any reason the Grantor cannot or does not act in the event of the resignation of the Trustee, the Trustee may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor trustee or for instructions. The successor trustee must specify the date on which it assumes administration of the trust in writing sent to the Grantor and the present Trustee by certified mail 10 days before such change becomes effective. Any expenses incurred by the Trustee as a result of any of the acts contemplated by this section must be paid as provided in Section 9.
All orders, requests, and instructions by the Grantor to the Trustee must be in writing, signed by such persons as are designated in the attached Schedule B or such other designees as the Grantor may designate by amendment to Schedule B. The Trustee is fully protected in acting without inquiry in accordance with the Grantor's orders, requests, and instructions. All orders, requests, and instructions by the Washington State Department of Ecology to the Trustee must be in writing, signed by the Department, and the Trustee must act and is fully protected in acting in accordance with such orders, requests, and instructions. The Trustee has the right to assume, in the absence of written notice to the contrary, that no event constituting a change or a termination of the authority of any person to act on behalf of the Grantor or the Department, hereunder has occurred. The Trustee has no duty to act in the absence of such orders, requests, and instructions from the Grantor and/or the Department, except as provided for herein.
This Agreement may be amended by an instrument in writing executed by the Grantor and the Trustee, or by the Trustee and the Washington State Department of Ecology, if the Grantor ceases to exist.
Subject to the right of the parties to amend this Agreement as provided in Section 14, this trust is irrevocable and continues until terminated at the written direction of the Grantor and the Trustee, or by the Trustee and the Washington State Department of Ecology, if the Grantor ceases to exist. Upon termination of the trust, all remaining trust property, less final trust administration expenses, must be delivered to the Grantor.
The Trustee does not incur personal liability of any nature in connection with any act or omission, made in good faith, in the administration of this trust, or in carrying out any directions by the Grantor or the Washington State Department of Ecology, issued in accordance with this agreement. The Trustee is indemnified and saved harmless by the Grantor, from and against any personal liability to which the Trustee may be subjected by reason of any act or conduct in its official capacity, including all expenses reasonably incurred in its defense in the event the Grantor fails to provide such defense.
This Agreement must be administered, construed, and enforced according to the laws of the state of Washington, or the Comptroller of the Currency in the case of National Association banks.
As used in this Agreement, words in the singular include the plural and words in the plural include the singular. The descriptive headings for each section of this Agreement does not affect the interpretation or the legal efficacy of this Agreement.
In witness whereof the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers duly authorized and their corporate seals (if applicable) to be hereunto affixed and attested as of the date first above written. The parties below certify that the wording of this Agreement is identical to the wording specified in WAC 173-360A-1086 as such regulations were constituted on the date written above.
[Signature of Grantor]
[Name of the Grantor]
[Title]
Attest:
[Signature of Trustee]
[Name of the Trustee]
[Title]
[Seal]
Attest:
[Signature of Witness]
[Name of Witness]
[Title]
[Seal]
Wash. Admin. Code § 173-360A-1086
Reviser's note: The brackets and enclosed material in the text of the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.