News And Events

Attention Tribal UST operators and inspectors in Indian Country: UST Training is proud to announce the first-ever Class A/B UST Operator Training course designed exclusively for UST operators in Indian Country. This course meets and exceeds the content requirements of US EPA rules and will help Tribal UST operators meet the October 13, 2018 training deadline.

 This just in from the nation’s top UST regulator: (Spoiler alert: Lots of internal corrosion found)

Dear UST Industry Association Colleagues:

I am writing to notify you that EPA’s report, Investigation Of Corrosion-Influencing Factors In Underground Storage Tanks With Diesel Service, (EPA 510-R-16-001, July 2016) is now available.  In addition to the report, EPA also developed a notice about corrosion risks in underground storage tanks (USTs) storing diesel fuel.  I am requesting that you share our notice with your association’s UST owner and operator members and any other stakeholders you think could benefit from this information.  Both the report and notice are available on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/ust/alternative-fuels-and-underground-storage-tanks-usts#tab-5.

With New York recently joining the states who now have UST operator training rules, the question comes up again about approval of Class C UST operator training. Do states require Class C operator training approval?

Ben Thomas of UST Training recently returned from Guam where he taught what is believed to the first agency-approved Class A/B UST Operator Training course that was exclusively designed for operators of airport hydrant systems (AHS) and field constructed tanks (FCT). These unique UST systems were recently added to the federal UST universe (new Subpart K of 40 CFR 280) but Guam started regulating them back in 2013. So while many states are working to identify these tanks for regulatory inclusion, Guam EPA had a pretty good handle on its inventory.

This week UST Training’s Ben Thomas heads to the Western Pacific to provide live Class A/B UST Operator Training on two US island territories. Ben first heads to the island of Guam where he’ll train about 125 UST operators over three days of classroom instruction. The Guam EPA adopted all the new Federal UST rules before they became effective nationwide, so Guam’s rules contain all the new rules most states are currently working on adopting (30-day walk throughs, sump testing etc.)

The Steel Tank Institute has developed an informational brochure for UST owners, encouraging them to monitor and remove water from their tanks. The brochure has easy-to-understand text, a clear illustration of where water enters underground tanks, and a list of further resources. For years UST Training has been encouraging our Class A/B UST operator customers to watch for, measure and properly removed and dispose of water.

Note the illustration does not indicate sumps can leak into the tank: do you agree?

DEQ will be proposing rule amendments to the Environmental Quality Commission.

Oregon operates an underground storage tank regulation program under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval. EPA revised their rules effective in 2015 and Oregon must align its rules with the EPA revisions. The current rulemaking will bring Oregon’s rules into compliance with the federal rules and will raise the annual UST permit fee. DEQ is convening an advisory committee to inform this rulemaking.

We recently learned that another state, Missouri, has borrowed our idea of providing site-specific worksheets to be filled our after a class C UST operator completes an online course. Other state agencies from Alaska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arkansas, (and maybe others) have used our idea as a template for their own standards.

I was updating my resume today when I realized nearly 30 years have gone by since I first entered the world of UST systems. From climbing into my first tank pit in Vermont with a PID gas sniffer in 1986 until today sitting in my office planning my next training trip and getting snowed with calls and emails from around the country, I can easily say I never imagined I’d still be doing USTs. What’s so interesting about this industry? Why be a UST guy for nearly three decades? Here are some off-the-cuff thoughts.