Discover PEI’s Onboarding Bundle

Attention PEI members: I’m excited to help spread the word.

The PEI Education Center was created by the industry, for the industry—because no one understands your work like those who’ve done it themselves.

The Onboarding Bundle, which includes EHE 101: Introduction to Energy Handling Equipment and EHE 102: Introduction to Repair and Maintenance for Energy Handling Equipment, is the most efficient way to start strong in your career or train new team members. These courses provide foundational knowledge and practical skills built specifically for the energy handling equipment industry. They are also available in Spanish, ensuring that more people have access to great education.

Whether you’re new to the field or looking to get your new hires up to speed, this bundle delivers training that’s both relevant and respected.

Enroll today and get your team started with the tools they need to succeed.

Not a PEI member yet? Here’s some reasons to become one.

After all these years I’m excited to have just done my first podcast with RTO. Special thanks to Ready Training Online’s President Jeff Kahler and  Producer  Kelly Sundberg for such a great conversation.

Episode 0141: Every Storage Tank is Different, Interview with Ben Thomas from UST Training

Exciting news for Iowa UST operators. UST Training provides FREE Iowa online Class A/B UST operator training.

Qualifying UST operators can get our training FREE if you meet the following conditions:

• You must be within 4 hours travel time to the UST site for which you are responsible,
  
• You must be within a 2 hour drive if the UST site is unstaffed,
  
• You must fill out all your contract information (including the IA DNR UST Registration #) before you start, and
• You cannot already have been trained as an Iowa Class A/B UST operator.
  

Then congratulations, our course is free!

Or, how a little company can have a big impact on the prevention of leaking underground storage tanks while protecting the nation’s drinking water supplies for over three decades.

• In the UST industry since 1986.
• In the UST training business since 2002.
• Nation’s first state-approved Class A/B course in Oregon in 2003.
• Online Class A/B and C training since 2007.
• Over 1,500,000 Class C certificates issued to date.
• Over 20,000 Class A/B certificates issued to date.
• Class C approved in 49 states and 3 territories.
• Class A/B approved in 30 states and territories plus Indian Country.
• Trained all UST operators in AZ, GU, CMNI and USVI.
• Helped create training courses for UST agencies in 4 states: ID, ME, MT and TN.
• Live Class A/B courses in over 20 states and territories.
• Over 100 YouTube videos (Tank Savvy Minute).
• Over 23,000 newsletter subscribers.
• Over 900 blog posts.
• 11 strategic partnerships with petroleum trade groups and associations.
• Over 35 affiliate companies and trade groups reselling our training.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without our many friends, colleagues, associates, customers and supporters. Thanks for all you do!

From the desk of Ben Thomas, President, USTtraining.com

One of the highlights of my career has been watching the growth evolution of UST operator training. Being the first person in the US to train and certify state-approved Class A/B UST operators, I’ve seen the industry grow from literally myself and a few others in Oregon to what seems like a sprawling array of choices nationwide. The old days of suffering through PowerPoint slides, heavy 3-ring binders, and hotel coffee and donuts all seem like a thing of the past. By now, the arm-chair convenience and mass scalability of online learning should be self-evident. Plus online learning appears to be generally accepted by the regulatory community as well as most Class A/B and Class C UST operators.

The good news:

• Millions of people have been trained to keep UST systems safe.
• UST compliance seems to be slowly improving nationwide.
• Environmental safety features have been modernized at many, if not most, UST systems.
• Online training has allowed UST owners with high staff turnover to train lots of people rapidly with minimal time and impact.

However,

Missed our last webinar? It’s on YouTube. Check it out! A big thanks to our speakers who each offered their expertise to help new UST owners and operators be the most successful they can be.

Our 2025 webinar series started off strong with Tony Caputo of Warren Rogers Associates giving an excellent overview about the critical difference between losses and leaks of UST systems.

If you weren’t able to attend, here’s the link on YouTube.

And here’s what’s ahead. Sign up today!

February

What Every New UST Operator Should Know
February 12, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM Pacific Time

Are you new to owning or operating an UST system? Are you overwhelmed with the complexities of the rules? Do you not know what your biggest risk factor is? Do you not know what to focus your efforts on?

Save yourself years of trial and error and hear from this esteemed panel of experts whose years of experience can help you become an expert UST operator as soon as possible.

Ben Thomas, President of UST Training, will host a panel including seasoned UST inspectors, UST operators Jon Tuttle of Stinker Stores and Adam Sansoucy of Cumberland/EG, UST tester Don Reeves, Mascott Equipment, John Olko of OWL, and even top EPA UST official, Tony Raia.
Register Now

March 2025

Update 10 years later:

From the TankSavvy Blog Vault…Nov. 4, 2014…

Any shrewd consumer knows you get what you pay for and the lowest price on the job is just that–the lowest price. Here at UST Training we’ve kept our prices the same since Day 1: $12.95 for a Class C UST operator license and $150 for a Class A/B UST operator license. And, barring catastrophe, we plan on keeping it that way. We may not be the cheapest trainer in the market but we believe we are the best.

The beginning of a New Year is an exciting time to look back at our contribution to the UST training industry by evaluating feedback from customers. I would like to share with you the results of surveys we received from our Class A/B UST operators nationwide.

We ask each operator to fill out a survey after completing the training but before getting their certificate. The pie charts below are an aggregate from thirty “A/B” states plus Indian Country.

“We are excited to announce the dates and location of the 2025 TLEF, and we really looking forward to seeing you all later this year at our annual “homecoming”! We’ll have more information coming your way in the next few months regarding submitting proposals, registration, and field trips, and other events.” Your TLEF  Team, Todd, Julie, Amanda, and Zane

August 18-21, 2025
Minneapolis, MN

Hope to see you all there!

Hello UST professionals and enthusiasts. Looking forward to seeing you at the national tanks conference in 2025.

NEIWPCC is now accepting abstracts for the 28th National Tanks Conference & Exposition (NTC). The conference will be held September 22-25, 2025 at the Spokane Convention Center in Spokane, Washington. Please use the form below to submit an abstract to be considered for a presentation, workshop, or poster. Please share this webpage with anyone you’d like to see present at the conference. Abstract submissions are due Friday, February 7, 2025.

Please be aware that speakers are responsible for their own expenses related to the conference. This includes registration and travel costs. NEIWPCC will offer a reduced registration rate for speakers, and eligible state and tribal employees may apply for reimbursement according to NEIWPCC’s policies and procedures. Information related to conference registration and participant support will be communicated in early 2025.

Thank you for submitting an abstract for the 28th National Tanks Conference & Exposition. NEIWPCC will notify you about the status of your abstract in spring 2025.

Hello UST professionals and everyone who wants to make our industry better, safer and stronger. It’s both a humbled privilege and an honor to begin my second term on the Board of Directors of PEI (Petroleum Equipment Institute), representing the Affiliate Division. One of my goals over my next two-year term is to continue to share with our affiliate companies the many things PEI does for the petroleum storage tank universe.

I just got back from my first board meeting in Tulsa Oklahoma, and met the Board members and the amazing staff that make up the PEI team. There are so many new and ongoing initiatives underway at PEI these days it’s hard to keep track of them all. These include, but are not not limned to:

Start 2025 off right by attending one or more of these exciting webinars as part of our FREE technical series for UST professionals.

January 2025

Loss versus Leak? What’s the difference and does it matter?

Thursday, January 23, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM Pacific Time
Fuel leaks and fuel losses. What’s the difference? Each have unique impacts on profitability and safety:Guest speaker Tony Caputo of Warren Rogers Associates will explain the subtle but critical differences between a leak (losing fuel) versus loss (losing money) in this highly informative and helpful free webinar.

Register now

February 2025

What Every New UST Operator Should Know

Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM PST

• • Are you new to owning or operating an UST system?
  • Are you overwhelmed with the complexities of the rules?
  • Do you not know what your biggest risk factor is?
  • Do you not know what to focus your efforts on?

Save yourself years of trial and error and hear from this esteemed panel of experts whose years of experience can help you become an expert UST operator as soon as possible. Ben Thomas, President of UST Training will host a panel including seasoned UST inspectors, UST operators Jon Tuttle of Stinker Stores and Adam Sansoucy of Cumberland/EG, UST tester Don Reeves, Mascott Equipment, John Olko of OWL and even top EPA UST official Tony Raia. This webinar is also good for new UST inspectors and service technicians as well.

Register Now

Future topics include

Read More →

This just in from the US EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks

Dear UST Colleagues:

Our end of fiscal year 2024 Underground Storage Tank performance measures report is now available. You can access the report on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website at epa.gov/ust/ust-performance-measures.  As shown by the report data, the EPA, and our state, territorial, Tribal, and industry partners are making progress in protecting public health and the environment from UST releases. Highlights from FY 2024 include:

• Compliance rates remain high for Class A and B operator training requirements at 87.2%, and for financial responsibility requirements at 89.9%. The Technical Compliance Rate (TCR) is increasing as envisioned, reaching 60.2%.
• Fewer confirmed releases, 4,047, occurred during FY 2024 than during any other FY in the program’s history. This is the third year in a row with a record low number of confirmed releases.
• Cleanup progress continues. The UST release backlog remains well below 60,000 at 55,334 and we expect the number will continue to decrease.

How did you end up in the world of Underground Storage Tanks?

When I tell people what I do for a living, people often ask me how I got into this line of work in the first place. Looking back on my 35+ years of analyzing and explaining UST regulations, I sometimes forget the odd chain of events that got me where I am today.

Here’s my story.

It all began in the spring of 1986. I was 23 years old, had recently received an AA in Natural Resources Management, was living in an old farmhouse in northern Vermont, and was looking for work. I wanted to do something environmentally related but I had no idea what that looked like.

The month of November is American Indian Heritage Month and here at UST Training, I want to offer special recognition to the American Indian tribes that I’ve had a good fortune to work with over the years. Looking back, I’ve provided UST training and consulting to many many tribes, including (but hardly limited to):

• Seneca Nation of Indians, NY
• Oglala Sioux Tribe, SD
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe, SD
• San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, CA
• Pechanga Band of Indians, CA
• Navajo Nation, AZ, UT, NM
• Cherokee Nation, OK
• Eight Northern Pueblos, NM
• Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, ND
• Oneida Nation, WI
• Ho-Chunk Nation, WI
• Shoshone Bannock Tribe, ID
• Fort Belknap Indian Community, MT
• Colville Confederated Tribes, WA
• Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis, WA
• Samish Tribe, WA
• Quinault Tribe, WA
• Spokane Tribe, WA
• Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, WA
• Swinomish Tribe, WA
• Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, WA
• Umatilla Tribe, OR
• And many more (sorry if I missed you!)

Do you have field-constructed UST’s or an airport hydrant UST system and would like customized Class A/B or C UST operator training? We’ve got a solution.

Background: A very small but critical part of the UST universe includes field-constructed underground tanks and airport hydrant system UST’s. These types of tanks were deferred from Federal UST regulations until around 2015 largely because very little of the typical gas station UST regulations applied to these gigantic and potentially high-pressure systems. Per the US EPA rules, these are called Subpart K UST systems. Subpart K tanks rarely, if ever, have automatic tank gauges, interstitial monitoring, line leak detectors, drop tubes, or spill buckets. However, they are regulated, and with regulations come the obvious requirement of UST operator training.

Really??  In 2024? I thought we left these stories behind in the 1990s!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct 21 2024
Kevin Wilkerson and his companies illegally charged tens of thousands of dollars for shoddy work that increased the risk of underground fuel leaks

TACOMA — On Friday, a Pierce County judge ordered a local business owner to pay more than $360,000 in penalties and restitution for unlawfully charging gas station owners for unfinished, unnecessary, or shoddy work on underground fuel storage tanks. The order is the result of a consumer protection lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s Wing Luke Civil Rights Division.

The judgment includes full restitution, plus interest, for nine gas station owners — all but one of whom identify as Korean or South Asian — who were scammed by Kevin Wilkerson and his companies, Northwest Environmental Services and Core Environmental Group. Wilkerson collected payment from the small businesses for work he did not perform or performed so poorly the businesses had to pay thousands more to other companies for the same services. In many cases, Wilkerson stopped responding to the owners of the gas stations when they attempted to contact him and refused to refund what they paid.

Full story here

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