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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a February 8th report titled:
USTs by the Numbers: How Did You Do? (“Report”)
The Report is published twice a year by EPA and provides Underground Storage Tank (“UST”) performance measures for all states, territories, and tribes.
In the mid-1980s the United States Congress concluded that a significant percentage of the USTs had or would suffer leaks or spills (often called “releases”). Congress also decided that some releases had or would cause significant subsurface and/or groundwater contamination. A related concern was the possibility that releases in certain areas or settings might infiltrate structures or drinking water supplies.
The Congressional response was legislation mandating EPA develop a UST regulatory program. EPA subsequently promulgated UST regulations in 1989 requiring that petroleum USTs meet various registration, installation, design, leak detection, recordkeeping, and closure requirements. Most states (including Arkansas) decided to play a role in the regulation of USTs after the promulgation of the initial federal regulations. For example, the State of the Arkansas enacted legislation that included the adoption of the federal UST technical standards, creation of a petroleum storage tank trust fund, and initiation of a contractor or licensing program.
Despite various states’ operation of the UST program, EPA maintains oversight to ensure that the technical standards and financial responsibilities are being attained in the various delegated states.
The February 8th semiannual Report of UST performance measures looks at a national snapshot of October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.
A number of national statistics are referenced, such as:
- 539,610 active national USTs at approximately 193,000 facilities
- 86,625 total inspections
- 57.8 percent technical compliance measure
- 4,991 confirmed releases
- 7,271 completed cleanups
- 61,981 releases remaining to be cleaned up
The numbers for the State of Arkansas, which is listed in Region 6, include:
- Number of active petroleum UST systems – 8,557
- Number of closed petroleum UST systems – 22,298
- Number of hazardous substance UST systems – 0
- Number of closed hazardous substance UST systems – 42
- Total active UST systems – 8,557
- Total closed UST systems – 22,340
- Number of on-site inspections conducted – 1,413
- Confirmed releases actions – 17
- Confirmed releases cumulative – 1,422
- Cleanups initiated cumulative – 1,386
- Cleanups completed actions this year – 24
- Cleanups completed cumulative – 1,322
- Cleanups backlog – 100
A copy of the Report can be downloaded here.
