L.U.S.T. AND THE LAW. WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE LAW AND LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS

When the Arab oil embargo caused a quadrupling of gasoline prices and long lines at the gas pump in the early seventies, many businesses--contractors included--decided to install underground storage tanks (USTs) for their petroleum products. There are several million USTs in the United States. Tens of thousands of them are leaking and many, if not all, can be expected to leak in the future. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed regulations for USTs which are now in effect. New tanks installed after December 1988 must be properly installed, have spill and overfill protection, be protected from corrosion, and be equipped with leak-detection devices. If a tank was installed before December 1988, immediate implementation of tank filling procedures that will prevent spills and overfills is required. By December 1998 all tanks must have corrosion protection and devices installed to prevent spills and overfills. The schedule for leak detection devices installation is given in this article. Accepted methods of detecting tank leaks include: automatic tank gauging; monitoring for vapors in the soil; interstitial monitoring; and monitoring for liquids in the groundwater. In addition, tank tightness testing must be undertaken annually for tanks without corrosion protection and every five years for tanks with corrosion protection. Beginning on October 26, 1990, financial responsibility must be available to cover costs of a release from a UST. The required amounts are $500,000 per occurrence, with an aggregate of $1 million. There is currently a very limited market of insurance available for USTs, but more companies are offering insurance every day. Because of these stringent requirements on USTs, many owners have decided that the cost of keeping them in operation is much greater than the benefit received. EPA estimates that between two million and three million tanks must be removed or put out of operation over the next ten years. EPA regulations allow for tanks to be permanently closed in place.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/2642359
• Corporate Authors:

  Associated General Contractors of America

  2300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
  Arlington, VA  United States  22201
• Authors:
  • Deery, B
• Publication Date: 1990-2

Media Info

• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: p. 24-25
• Serial:
  • Constructor
  • Volume: 72
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Associated General Contractors of America
  • ISSN: 0162-6191

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Corrosion protection; Detectors; Environmental protection; Gasoline; Insurance; Leakage; Monitoring; Regulations; Storage tanks
• Old TRIS Terms: Underground storage tanks
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Law;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00491286
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1990 12:00AM