UST Operators who have been properly trained know to look out for alarms on their ATG or Automatic Tank Gauge. But one alarm on the Veeder Root TLS 350 has caused some confusion over the years: PLLD Shut Down.

What does it mean? The answer might surprise you. Check out the humorous video our friends at Canary Compliance put together to explain.

Have an alarm that doesn’t make sense? Sign up for our Virtual Tank Savvy Talk on Fridays and have the UST experts explain. Register today.

When he’s not training Class A/B courses around the country, Ben Thomas of UST Training has been busy this year doing live webinars for State and Federal UST inspectors. Webinars have been a simple solution to address the challenges of travel in the time of Covid.

Ben recently provided live webinars for EPA Region 10 (Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho) and EPA Region 3 (Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia). Some lessons were for beginners and some were for advanced inspectors. For Region 10, Ben invited veteran service tech Don Reeves of Mascott Equipment to offer real-world field tech perspectives. Likewise, Ed Kubinsky of Crompco, a well respected service tech, speaker and PEI RP committee member, spoke to Region 3 inspectors and offered a “boots on the ground” view about the problems and successes of implementing all the new tests.

Feedback from the recent EPA Region 3 class:

I appreciated the multiple perspectives that each presenter brought to the webinar. The experiences from the field are a valuable insight for a person on the regulator side.

Ben and Ed were very knowledgeable, and their experience in this field over the years provided great insight!

I enjoyed the way things were broken down as simple as it was for things that can be so technical.

I liked that you used lots of photos and explained what we were seeing…also the smoothness of the presenters….it wasn’t boring….

Ben is one of the few operator trainers that also trains UST inspectors as well. And he works with regional service technical experts to make sure his audience doesn’t just know the UST rules but is able to get invaluable field perspectives.

Want your own inspector webinar? Contract Ben at 866-301-8265 or [email protected]

Can a fog machine and lasers find leaks in containment sumps? Read more.

UST Training recently collaborated with Dri-Sump to provide refresher training to Montana licensed UST workers. We were very impressed with some new sump testing technology so we’d like to share it with you.

“Developed by AC’CENT Environmental Services, Inc., Dri-sump® is an EPA-approved containment-tightness testing technology that delivers digitally recorded pinpoint testing accuracy to 0.05 gph in just 60 seconds and uses no water and creates zero waste.Instead of water, the system uses a food-grade, pH-neutral, non-petroleum vapor aerosol that is injected into the sump, filling a 300-gallon sump in 10-15 seconds; after the test, the vapor dissipates in about 10 minutes. After injecting the aerosol vapor, an air generator “pulls” the gases from the sump into a viewing chamber that is connected to a Vapor Stimulator Tube (VST), where a laser is introduced. If the viewer sees a green laser “dot,” there is no leak and the sump passes the test. If a green “line” is observed, a leak has been detected.”

Learn more about Dri-Sump

As you know from your training, UST operators need to tightness test their sumps and spill buckets every three years. And conventional hydrostatic testing, involving managing large quantities of potential oily test water, can be expensive.

Want to learn more? Contact Dri-Sump and learn more about this new test method.

After a year of no travel, the team at UST Training is excited to be back on the road attending a number of petroleum trade shows around the country. For a complete list of shows we’ll be at click here.

We are cautiously optimistic that with widespread vaccinations, proper masking and social distancing, and a bit of faith and courage, folks will be able and willing to attend these important events. Hope to see at some of these show soon!

Want to meet Ben or Tammy at one of these shows and talk about Class A/B or C UST operator in person? Call us to set up an appointment at 866-301-8265 or [email protected]

And see you at the show!

Online training for doesn’t have to be a boring or lonely exercise.

We recently helped a company set up a Class A/B UST operator training course in a very creative way and we wanted to share this idea to encourage you come up with inventive ways to train your team.

A c-store chain in the Midwest wanted a live class since their group of store managers was coming together for the first time since COVID-19 for a big staff meeting anyway: why not get everyone Class A/B trained on the same trip? But due to schedule conflicts (and cost), we were unable to to offer the class live. So here’s what we came up with. Employees of the company:

• Purchased a dozen or so self-paced Class A/B courses,
• Got a classroom at a local community college with enough computers for each person,
• Watched the self-paced course together and discussed each lesson as they went along.
• Took the final exam independently, and
• Invited (and this is the really cool part) a local UST state inspector to come after class and discuss the UST rules.

Don’t think you are limited by time, geography, or even normal training conventions. Think how you can make training work for your company.

Want to brainstorm how to make training work for you? Call us at 866-301-8265 or [email protected]

(Ben’s note: I recently received this email from Mark Barolo from EPA and thought it was worth sharing with our UST community. I first met Mark way back in 1996 at my first national Tanks Conference and am very happy that Mark has moved into the role of the acting director of the national UST program. Mark keeps alive the spirit of EPA wanting to make sure we are all working together to keep the nation’s drinking water supplies free from leaking UST systems)

UST Colleagues, Partners, and Stakeholders:

EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks developed a timeline about the national underground storage tanks (UST) program.  You may access an interactive version of the timeline on EPA’s UST website at www.epa.gov/ust/milestones-underground-storage-tank-programs-history and a text version at www.epa.gov/ust/milestones-underground-storage-tank-programs-history-text-version.  

Further Resources for US EPA Region 3 Beginning and Advanced UST Inspector Training
May 24-25, 2021

Thanks UST inspectors from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, DC and Virginia for attending the EPA Region 3-sponsored webinar. Please feel free to use these helpful videos and national testing standards and add them to your own UST resource library.

Medford, Oregon

This announcement, REQ-61984, will close on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 11:59 PM.                                                  

The Oregon DEQ is hiring for a UST inspector position.  https://oregon.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/SOR_External_Career_Site/job/Medford–DEQ–Stewart-Avenue/Underground-Storage-Tank-Inspector–Natural-Resource-Specialist-3-_REQ-61984. If you are an internal applicant, you can view the posting via the external applicant link, however, you must apply via your internal Workday account, which can be accessed via this link: https://wd5.myworkday.com/oregon

Please contact Mike Kortenhof at (503) 229-5474 or [email protected] with questions regarding this position.

Ben Thomas of UST Training joined the Board of Directors as an Affiliate Member of the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) in 2020 and recently attended his first Board meeting via Zoom. Here are some highlights and observations as summarized the PEI Tulsa Letter:

EPA Region 9’s Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Program is Hiring!

We are looking for cleanup project managers (GS 11/12) to work in the UST Program of EPA’s Region 9 Office in San Francisco, CA.  These individuals will manage environmental cleanups of sites impacted by petroleum and/or hazardous contaminants across the states and tribes of the Pacific Southwest Region. These positions are advertised as “Physical Scientists/Life Scientists”, and most engineers, geologists, chemists, physicists, and biologists with the required experience will qualify.  Full details on the duties, requirements, and documentation to apply are linked below.   

Apply Here:

This opportunity is open to the public from 3/15/21 to 3/29/21 (8:59pm PT/11:59pm ET). 

The salary range is from $78,861 to $122,884 per year and offers great federal benefits. See the USAJobs Help Center on how to get started.  

Steven Linder, P.E.

Special Projects Coordinator (LND-4)

US Environmental Protection Agency Region 9

San Francisco, California

[email protected]

415-972-3369 – office

650-592-2000 – mobile