Hello friends, colleagues, vendors, customers and any UST operator, inspector or service technician nationwide:

As a member of this year’s PEI Board of Directors, I want to personally invite you to meet face-to-face us in Chicago October 5-8, 2021, at the PEI 2021 at the NACS Show.

With proper safety precautions in place, we will be at McCormick Place so make sure to stop by our booth 4050.

Want to schedule a meeting with our team? Contact us at 360-321-4776 or [email protected]raining.com

The latest low-down on the Show:

• There’s still time to register.
• There’s still hotel rooms available.
• Masks are required indoors.
• Meal and social functions are happening.
• 99% of exhibitor booths are sold out so expect a full house of vendors.

Dear UST Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that EPA’s Wildfire Guide: Preparation And Recovery For Underground And Aboveground Storage Tank Systems is now available on our underground storage tank (UST) website at www.epa.gov/ust/wildfire-guide-preparation-and-recovery-underground-and-aboveground-storage-tank-systems.  Because many UST facilities also include aboveground storage tank (AST) systems, our wildfire guide provides information and resources for both UST systems and ASTs storing oil.  Information in the guide may help UST and oil AST owners and operators prepare for and respond to the catastrophic effects and environmental harm that may occur as a result of partial or fully burned UST systems or oil ASTs and associated piping and appurtenances.  State, local, and tribal UST and oil AST program implementers may also find this guide useful.

Ben Thomas of UST Training is serving on the PEI Board of Directors this year and is pleased to announce:

The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), the leading authority for fuel and fuel handling equipment, appointed Jason Blake executive vice president, effective Oct. 18. 

Learn more here

Ben met Jason on Zoom and he seems like a great match for PEI. If you’re attending the PEI Show in Chicago this October, make sure you find Jason and say hello.

The Oneida Nation UST Compliance Assistance Program is please to announce the launch of our virtual UST Training Portal. Please follow the link below to register and take a tour and go through the modules and see what we’ve done!  Please contact us with any questions or concerns. Content for this training will continue to be developed. Plans include functionality testing, C-Operator responsibilities, tank removals and installs. Included on the training portal are links to other learning resources. Thanks again and enjoy. https://ust.oneida-nsn.gov/portal/register.php

UST Training is part of the Virtual UST Boot Camp to provide technical assistance about UST operator training to Indian Country UST operators nationwide.

UST Training also offers self-paced Indian Country Class A/B and C UST operator training. Click here to learn more.

New U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data shows that the 2015 federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations are doing their job. Compliance with key UST performance measures is climbing. However, the nation’s backlog of yet-to-be-cleaned-up UST sites remains high. The Semiannual 2021 Fiscal Year UST Performance Report (October 2020 – March 2021) shows impressive gains in compliance rates, as compared to the Semiannual 2020 Fiscal Year UST Performance Report (October 2019 – March 2020).

Active UST count declines. When the 2015 EPA regulations were issued, the U.S. had 569,340 operating USTs. The semiannual 2021 report shows that number has fallen to 540,329. C-store consolidation doubtless has played a role in the decline. Another factor is how fuel marketers are responding to the regulations. For some owners and operators, closing an aging UST system is a reasonable alternative to investing in costly testing, inspection and upgrades.

Cleanup backlog persists. The semiannual 2021 report shows 2,395 confirmed releases and 3,439 completed cleanups between October 2020 and March 2021. Nationwide, 63,048 cleanups have yet to be completed. That is down from 63,677 one year ago and 72,248 in 2015.

There’s lots going on around the US in the world of UST systems: here’s a summary. Find your state or states and learn more.

Arizona: ADEQ is rolling out MyDEQ this July, which will basically allow each UST operator to create an online account to ADEQ and manage all “paperwork” virtually. Learn more.

Arizona: We still offer free training to qualifying Class A/B and C UST operators. Learn more.

Connecticut: Our online Class A/B course has been approved by the CT DEEP. Start training now.

Delaware: Look for us to be offering online, state-approved Class A/B training shortly. DE is allowing third party vendors to train in-state and our course is under review.

Hawaii: We’re offering a live Class A/B UST operator training course in Honolulu this October, pending enough enrollment. Learn more.

Iowa: The IOWA DNR has revised their UST rules and UST Training has updated our slides to include the new rules.

Iowa: We still offer free training to qualifying Class A/B and UST operators. Learn more.

Nebraska: We’ll be training all the NE UST inspectors this fall in Lincoln. Need your own inspector course? Contact us.

New Mexico: New UST regulations go into effect July 24, 2021, including spill/overfill/sump testing, emergency power generator release detection and other Federally-based requirements. Learn more.

As an honored PEI Board Member, I want to personally invite each and every one of you to the PEI Show in Chicago this October 5-8, 2021. Whether you are a UST operator, compliance manager, installer, tester or regulator, there is something here for you.

The PEI Convention at the NACS Show is the event of the year for the fuel and fluid handling equipment and services industry! With a wealth of educational sessions and networking opportunities–along with 3 days of the trade show–you’ll be able to expand your networking contacts and knowledge quickly–and your bottom line.

And make sure to stop by our booth 4050

If you’ve taken our course in the past, and you take a refresher lately, you’ll notice our courses now run a lot faster. We’ve spent the spring and summer fine tuning our slides, making little corrections and compressing the digital files so the lessons load faster and ultimately make a great course a little greater.

Check out our listings of Class A/B courses (approved in 29 states, more pending) and our Class C courses (all states, CA pending)

Our friends at NEIWPCC (pronounced NEW EE PICK) have graciously linked to our online Class A/B and C UST operator training courses.

Check it out!

Ben Thomas is a contributor to NEIWPCC’s LUSTLine newsletter and is on the LUSTLine editorial board. Ben’s NEIWPCC history goes back to 1986 where he was sporting a very early LUST-Buster t-shirt as a state inspector in Vermont. And in case you were wondering: LUST = Leaking Underground Storage Tank. 🙂