- (a) An environmental covenant is perpetual unless it is:
- (1) By its terms limited to a specific duration or terminated by the occurrence of a specific event;
- (2) Terminated by consent pursuant to § 34A-17-10;
- (3) Terminated pursuant to subsection (b);
- (4) Terminated by foreclosure of an interest that has priority over the environmental covenant; or
(5) Terminated or modified in an eminent domain proceeding, but only if:
- (A) The agency that signed the covenant is a party to the proceeding;
- (B) All persons identified in § 34A-17-10(a) and (b) are given notice of the pendency of the proceeding; and
- (C) The court determines, after hearing, that the termination or modification will not adversely affect human health or the environment.
- (b) If the agency that signed an environmental covenant has determined that the intended benefits of the covenant can no longer be realized, a court, under the doctrine of changed circumstances, in an action in which all persons identified in § 34A-17-10(a) and (b) have been given notice, may terminate the covenant or reduce its burden on the real property subject to the covenant. The agency's determination or its failure to make a determination upon request is subject to review pursuant to chapter 1-26.
- (c) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (a) and (b), an environmental covenant may not be extinguished, limited, or impaired through issuance of a tax deed, foreclosure of a tax lien, or application of the doctrine of adverse possession, prescription, abandonment, waiver, lack of enforcement, or acquiescence, or a similar doctrine.
- (d) An environmental covenant may not be extinguished, limited, or impaired by application of chapter 43-30 or 43-30A.
Source: SL 2005, ch 196 , § 9.