News And Events

Please be advised that Hawaii’s updated Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 11-280.1 entitled Underground Storage Tanks are now effective. The official effective date is July 15, 2018.

You can view them now on our website through this link  http://health.hawaii.gov/shwb/underground-storage-tanks/.

Any questions please contact:

Thu Perry
Public Participation Coordinator
State of Hawaii
Solid & Hazardous Waste Branch
2827 Waimano Home Road #100
Pearl City, HI  96782
808.586.4226

Calling all Class A/B UST Operators who like a good mystery:

We’ve added a few extended versions of UST overfills caught on video cameras at gas stations.

Watch each and see if you can determine what went wrong. Would operator training helped prevent these?

This just in from EPA: It should help Class A/B UST operators get ready for the new testing deadlines.

Dear UST Colleagues:

As many of you know, we developed questions and answers (Qs & As) to clarify implementation issues regarding the 2015 underground storage tank (UST) regulation, and we posted the Qs & As on the EPA UST website in a Technical Compendium.

Another reminder to be careful with gasoline vapors and always hire out UST work where safety is in question.

“The co-owner of a local gas station here was killed this week when he and an employee were removing water from the vault of a vaulted tank system.  It was found out that they were using a shop vac to do the work when one of the tanks in the underground vault exploded killing the co-owner and severely injuring an employee. This is a sad example of why owners should leave routine maintenance work to the professionals who know what they’re doing.  It took over 24 hours for rescue crews to locate the body of the co-owner down in the vault.”

Special thanks to Ed Kubinsky of Crompco for sharing this sobering article.

Crews recover body of man trapped after Bensalem gas station explosion

We found this old article about “new” EPA regulations back in 1998 as we’ve been updating all of our courses to new current EPA regulations. How times have changed. Check it out here.

Ben Thomas is ready to head back to the Pacific Islands of Guam and Saipan in early June to lead 5 all day Class A/B training courses. We enjoyed uncovering this article describing his previous training classes there. You can read it here.

Attendee registration is now open for the 26th National Tanks Conference & Exposition.

The NTC will be held September 11-13, 2018, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Pre-conference workshops are scheduled for September 10.

Ben Thomas of UST Training will offering a UST operator training workshop plus another speaking session, plus will have a booth there. Ben has been attending, organizing or presenting at this conference since 1996 (where he gave a talk about why state UST agencies should create web pages) and it’s really the premier national venue for UST professionals.

Aloha Hawai’i UST Operators. Our Class A/B UST Operator Training course has just been re-approved by the Department of Health (DOH). The course needed to be updated to account for the rule changes, which go into effect this summer.  Check it out!

And for a limited time we are offering a discount on all Hawai’i Class A/B licenses though June 30, 2018. When you check out, add the coupon code ALOHAUST and save 20%.

Or just really want a live class? Ben Thomas of UST Training has a one-day only live class in Honolulu August 1, 2018. Learn more.

Check out this lengthy but well researched article about the life of the (leaking) underground storage tank program:

CHARLTON’S ‘DIRTY LITTLE SECRET’: The Long Haul for Clean Water by Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul

We’ve been super busy this spring gearing up to provide live classroom training throughout the Pacific and Western states. Plus we’re attending a number of cool UST conferences this year.

Interested in attending? Sign up below, And feel free to share this schedule with UST professionals who might benefit from these live classes and events.

Indian Country

Indian Country Class A/B UST Operator Training
Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, WA
May 16, 2018
Open to all tribal UST operators. Register Now. Seating Limited

Tribal Summit Membership Meeting
Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, WA
May 17, 2018
Ben will discuss the 2018 deadline for Indian Country UST operators and how to motivate operators to comply.