{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Barna, Guzy &amp; Steffen, LTD.","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog","author_name":"Barna, Guzy &amp; Steffen, Ltd.","author_url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/author\/bgs\/","title":"Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act - Barna, Guzy &amp; Steffen, LTD.","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"PBcXYxRCrL\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/20\/minnesota-environmental-response-and-liability-act\/\">Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/20\/minnesota-environmental-response-and-liability-act\/embed\/#?secret=PBcXYxRCrL\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act&#8221; &#8212; Barna, Guzy &amp; Steffen, LTD.\" data-secret=\"PBcXYxRCrL\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(c,d){\"use strict\";var e=!1,o=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage);else if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(!t);else if(!(t.secret||t.message||t.value));else if(\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret));else{for(var r,s,a,i=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),l=0;l<n.length;l++)n[l].style.display=\"none\";for(l=0;l<i.length;l++)if(r=i[l],e.source!==r.contentWindow);else{if(r.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message){if(1e3<(s=parseInt(t.value,10)))s=1e3;else if(~~s<200)s=200;r.height=s}if(\"link\"===t.message)if(s=d.createElement(\"a\"),a=d.createElement(\"a\"),s.href=r.getAttribute(\"src\"),a.href=t.value,!o.test(a.protocol));else if(a.host===s.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener(\"message\",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",t,!1),c.addEventListener(\"load\",t,!1);function t(){if(o);else{o=!0;for(var e,t,r,s=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf(\"MSIE 10\"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(\/Trident.*rv:11\\.\/),i=d.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),n=0;n<i.length;n++){if(!(r=(t=i[n]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\")))r=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),t.src+=\"#?secret=\"+r,t.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",r);if(s||a)(e=t.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute(\"security\"),t.parentNode.replaceChild(e,t);t.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:r},\"*\")}}}}(window,document);\n<\/script>\n","description":"Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act Suppose you were an owner of real estate in the 1960&#8217;s. Suppose also that you leased the real estate you owned to an oil company in 1961. The oil company placed fuel tanks on the real estate. In 1962 the oil company spilled fuel on your real estate. It slowly seeped into the soil and eventually contaminated the ground water as well as the soil. In 1988 the city where the land is located condemned the property. Now fast forward to today. The city sues you for the cost of the clean up based on current real estate law. Can you be held liable to clean up your real estate today when the fuel spill is discovered? The answer, believe it or not, is quite possibly yes. Many real estate owners in Minnesota are facing these liability issues today as a result of the Minnesota Environmental Response and Liability Act (&#8220;MERLA&#8221;). MERLA is what is called a &#8220;superfund&#8221; law. It was enacted primarily to identify and clean up abandoned and existing sites contaminated by hazardous substances. The key features of MERLA are that it: 1. Imposes joint and several liability on responsible persons; 2. Imposes strict liability, that is, liability without regard to fault or negligence, on..."}