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Note: This article is directed toward businesses looking to build or expand possibly on remediated brownfields, not those that are interested in purchasing a site and cleaning it up themselves. EPA Grants The EPA recently announced its latest round of brownfields grants. Grants investments totaling $54.3 million went to 243 projects in 147 communities nationwide. […]
CARE About Your Community EPA’s CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) program encourages community leaders to be in the forefront of learning about and reducing environmental risks and impacts. While CARE used to provide grants to communities, at this point it does not because of a lack of congressional funding. However, the Agency is […]
Cathodic Protection Cathodic protection uses direct electrical current to mitigate corrosion. There are two types of systems for cathodic protection: Sacrificial anodes, which can be attached to a coated steel UST for corrosion protection. Sacrificial anodes are pieces of metal more electrically active than the steel UST. Because these anodes are more active, the corrosive current […]
What ASTSWMO UST Task Force Found The ASTSWMO UST Task Force solicited information for fiscal year 2012 from all 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia in an effort to determine the violations most often encountered during UST compliance inspections. Responses were received from 35 states and territories, covering nearly 59,000 UST inspections […]
According to the EPA, while information on sources and causes of releases show that releases from tanks are less common than they once were, releases from piping and spills and overfills associated with deliveries have emerged as more common problems. The Agency attributes the lack of proper operation and maintenance of UST systems as a […]
Compliance with refrigerant handling and appliance and equipment repair requires a lot of paperwork and recordkeeping. Exclude Purged Refrigerants Tip 8: If you own refrigeration equipment and want to exclude purged refrigerants that are destroyed from annual leak rate calculations, keep these records: Records sufficient to support the amount of refrigerant you claimed you sent […]
EPA’s regulations for safeguarding and repairing the stratospheric ozone layer include provisions for the servicing and disposal of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. Under these regulations, a “refrigerant” is defined as any substance consisting of, or is part of, a Class I or Class II ODS that is used for heat transfer purposes and provides a […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends conducting these inspections at least monthly and, while not as thorough as an operations and maintenance (O&M) inspection, each inspection should be recorded by date and initialed. 9 Steps for Inspecting Your USTs Step 1. Release Detection System—Check the release detection system to ensure it is working properly. […]
After a Flood If your UST has been in a flood, take the following actions, depending on site-specific conditions: Do not assume everything is OK because water didn’t actually flood over the station. The water table could have risen and caused problems. Make sure the power to any UST-related equipment is off (such as power […]
Even if you have insurance to cover repairs, bringing a damaged UST back up to code can be a lengthy process, particularly if the flooding is widespread and qualified UST contractors are in high demand. Damages could include piping connections broken by movement, compromised electrical and leak prevention/detection systems, infiltration by water, and loss of […]