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A February 23, 2022, Consent Agreement (CA) entered into between the EPA and York Fuel Stop Inc. highlights the importance of understanding and following regulatory requirements for underground storage tanks (USTs). York Fuel’s alleged violation was for failure to maintain financial responsibility, as determined during the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PA DEP) March 28, […]
Nassau County in New York recently settled 48 counts of violations related to underground storage tank (UST) regulations in a civil matter filed by the EPA in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. As part of the agreement, Nassau must “install equipment to [ensure] adequate leak detection across all county […]
Q: Does the “cleanup” of diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid spills consisting of small amounts (about 500 lbs with about 3 gal of liquid) of soil and absorbents need to be handled as a special or hazardous waste?
Recently, the southeastern United States was slammed by a monster storm—Hurricane Matthew. The destructive hurricane created significant storm surges and caused severe flooding along much of the Atlantic coast. When major flooding occurs, underground storage tank (UST) systems can lift out of the ground, rupture, and release oil or other regulated substances. A single UST […]
Corrosion of underground steel tanks containing diesel fuel is possibly occurring at a high rate, according to a study released by EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST). While the study is limited—covering only 42 “diverse” UST systems nationwide—and also makes use of anecdotal reports from UST operators, the OUST found a remarkably high percentage […]
Spring is here. As the ground thaws and the rainy spring season begins, owners of underground storage tanks (USTs) must take certain precautions to prevent tank systems from emerging from belowground and floating away.
Aging tanks, muddled inspections, and inadequate recordkeeping can increase the probability for underground storage tank (UST) spills and releases. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that more than 6,000 releases are discovered annually, and as of 2015, more than 525,000 total releases from USTs have occurred. UST owners and operators that fail to conduct […]
Q. Does replacing a 1000 gallon UST with an 8000 gallon UST in the same location require a PE-certified revision to the SPCC Plan if nothing else has changed at the site?
When an unforeseeable emergency occurs at your retail motor fueling facility, are your employees adequately trained and prepared to respond to the situation? Retail motor fueling facilities, such as gas stations, have underground storage tanks (USTs) containing regulated substances. Unforeseen situations such as fires, spills, or severe-weather-induced power outages can have serious consequences on a […]
Did you know that the EPA estimates the average cost to clean up a spill or release from an underground storage tank (UST) system is $125,000? These high costs to clean up a spill or a release can cause significant anxiety and stress on any UST owner or operator.