Underground Storage Tank – EPA Proposed Regulations
EPA has proposed certain changes to the 1988 underground storage tank (UST) regulations in 40 CFR 280.
EPA hopes to reduce the approximately 7,000 releases that are discovered each year as of 2009 by emphasizing proper operation and maintenance in the new regulation.
EPA has concluded that:
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Releases from tanks are less common than they once were.
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Releases from piping and spills and overfills associated with deliveries have emerged as more common problems.
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Releases at the dispenser are one of the leading sources of releases.
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Release detection equipment is only detecting approximately 50 percent of releases it is designed to detect.
EPA acknowledges that there will be financial impacts on the regulated community as a result of the regulation, especially for small businesses. However, EPA calculated that the money saved from remediation and public benefit of less contamination outweigh the costs.
The goal of this series is to provide a weekly analysis of each major part of the regulations so that when (if) EPA hits its January projection mark for rule finalization:
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You will be ready for, and not scrambling to digest, a very complex and comprehensive overhaul of the current requirements for UST management, and
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You will be able to anticipate and better manage the costs associated with the regulation.