After the last day of the six-month period beginning on April 16, 1990, whenever any department, agency or instrumentality of the United States enters into any contract for the sale or other transfer of real property which is owned by the United States and at which any hazardous substance was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or disposed of, the head of such department, agency or instrumentality must include in such contract notice of the type and quantity of such hazardous substance and notice of the time at which such storage, release or disposal took place, to the extent such information is available on the basis of a complete search of agency files.

[60 FR 33915, June 29, 1995]

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 applies whenever the United States enters into any contract for the sale or other transfer of real property which is owned by the United States and on which any hazardous substance was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or disposed of.

(b) The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 for the storage for one year or more of hazardous substances applies only when hazardous substances are or have been stored in quantities greater than or equal to 1000 kilograms or the hazardous substance's CERCLA reportable quantity found at 40 CFR 302.4, whichever is greater. Hazardous substances that are also listed under 40 CFR 261.30 as acutely hazardous wastes, and that are stored for one year or more, are subject to the notice requirement when stored in quantities greater than or equal to one kilogram.

(c) The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 for the known release of hazardous substances applies only when hazardous substances are or have been released in quantities greater than or equal to the substance's CERCLA reportable quantity found at 40 CFR 302.4.

The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 must contain the following information:

(a) The name of the hazardous substance; the Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number (CASRN) where applicable; the regulatory synonym for the hazardous substance, as listed in 40 CFR 302.4, where applicable; the RCRA hazardous waste number specified in 40 CFR 261.30, where applicable; the quantity in kilograms and pounds of the hazardous substance that has been stored for one year or more, or known to have been released, or disposed of, on the property, and the date(s) that such storage, release, or disposal took place.

(b) The following statement, prominently displayed: “The information contained in this notice is required under the authority of regulations promulgated under section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Liability, and Compensation Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”) 42 U.S.C. section 9620(h).”

For the purposes of implementing this regulation, the following definitions apply:

(a) Hazardous substances means that group of substances defined as hazardous under CERCLA 101(14), and that appear at 40 CFR 302.4.

(b) Storage means the holding of hazardous substances for a temporary period, at the end of which the hazardous substance is either used, neutralized, disposed of, or stored elsewhere.

(c) Release is defined as specified by CERCLA 101(22).

(d) Disposal means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any hazardous substance into or on any land or water so that such hazardous substance or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwater.