EPA imposes stricter requirements for underground storage tanks

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will enforce stricter regulations for underground storage tanks (USTs) in an effort to improve the prevention and detection of petroleum releases – one of the biggest sources of groundwater contamination in the country. Existing federal requirements will be reinforced by the EPA to ensure all USTs in the United States meet the same release protection standards.

Updating 1988 UST regulations, new measures to prevent tank releases include secondary containment for tanks, which detect the fuel before it reaches the soil; bolstering operator training to help comply with upcoming regulations; and updates to current technology and codes of practices. There are currently more than 640,000 federally regulated active UST´s which store fuels or hazardous substances, according to the Groundwater Protection Council.

Other revised requirements are adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems; removing past deferrals for emergency generator tanks, airport hydrant systems, and field-constructed tanks; and updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these new changes.

“These changes will better protect people’s health and benefit the environment in communities across the country by improving prevention and detection of underground storage tank releases”, said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response in a statement. “Extensive and meaningful collaboration with our underground storage tank partners and stakeholders was vital to the development of the new regulations. The revised requirements will also help ensure consistency in implementing the tanks program among states and on tribal lands.”

The prepublication version of the EPA´s final UST regulations also mentions the costs affecting professionals of the industry, and the environmental benefits of the new requirements. “EPA considered the comments (made by marketers and non-retail facilities which own USTs) and adjusted today’s final UST regulation to alleviate some of the burden on owners and operators”, said the report. An example of this is requiring testing of spill prevention every three years instead of annually.

The time frame of operators and owners to adapt to the new requirements will depend on the conditions and costs. Those professionals of the sector who need to upgrade or install equipment with significant costs will be allowed three years. The exception is the implementation of secondary containments for new and replaces tanks, which will have to be completed 180 days after the effective date of the UST regulation, said the EPA report.

The EPA has gradually reduced the number of new UST releases in the country. Approximately 6,000 releases are discovered each year, with the lack of operation and maintenance of UST systems constituting the main cause for leaks, according to EPA reports. The agency also points at piping and spills associated with deliveries, along with releases at dispensers, as the two great dangers other than underground storage.

The official docket for the UST regulation is EPA-HQ-UST-2011-0301 and can be checked at http://www.regulations.gov once published. For more information access the documents of the final regulations for underground storage tanks at http://www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/revregs.html.

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