Reminder for our Florida UST Operators: Limited Sale Ongoing

Perhaps once in a career’s lifetime you get to do something extra special that borders on the extraordinary. Such was the time when I recently found myself visiting the world’s largest known UST system: The Red Hill Tanks at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. These tanks, built inside a volcano from 1940-43, include 20 vertical tanks each containing 12.7 million gallons of product, miles of tunneled pipeline, a massive room full of pumps, and the biggest array of tank monitoring equipment I hope to ever see.

See the video that shows how these amazing field-constructed tanks were built:

BIG NEWS

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) completed its review of the final Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule revising underground storage tank (UST) requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act on April 29, 2015. As proposed, the rule would require secondary containment systems on most USTs, expand tank owner and operator training requirements, and require owners and operators to periodically inspect and test tank components.

The State of Nebraska recently passed its new UST regulations Title 159 which includes UST operator training requirements. We’ve been tracking this development and have already submitted our training program for state approval. So hopefully we’ll be up and running and offering our highly praised Class A/B UST operator training within the next 30 days or so. Stay tuned for details. Need information about Nebraska UST rules? Drop us a line today and we’ll be happy to chat.

The National Tanks Conference is set for September 14-16 in Phoenix Arizona so mark your calendars. It’s going to be the biggest and best UST event of 2015 and you’ll not want to miss it. There will be dozens of speakers, tons of vendors, workshops, events, socials, and more. It’s an ideal spot to meet all the senior UST folks in the industry.

For our many returning customer’s it’s now super easy to buy more licenses. We’ve added a “Buy More” button to each group account’s admin page which loads the course you need automatically into the shopping cart. This removes a number of “clicks” in the checkout process.

We like feedback from our customers so we can improve the user experience. If you have any ideas to make the whole thing go smoother drop us a line. We’d like to hear from you.

UST Training recently updated our West Virginia Class A/B UST operator training course and we encourage you to check out the improvements. It’s the same great content but we’ve improved the Study Guide, added many new and updated images and made it easy to watch and learn.

Have any new Class A/B UST operators that need the training? Check it out!

One thing that sets us apart from all other UST training vendors is that we also train local, state, Federal and tribal UST inspectors. Over the years we’ve been proud to have provided advanced UST inspector training to the states of New Jersey, Tennessee, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Illinois, Washington, Oregon, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, plus the City of Chicago, and dozens of Indian Tribes and EPA inspectors throughout the US. Because we’ve been in the business for so long and because we know so many experts in the industry, we can provide your organization some the the best and brightest instructors around. We offer anywhere from 1 to 5 day courses and can cover any UST topic. Want to learn more? Contact us today.

And it’s not too late to register for the 3 day UST Boot Camp near Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 12-15, 2015. Sign up today.

Class C UST Operator Refresher required? Not all states have mandatory, periodic refresher training requirements but some states do. This list does not include every state; just the ones we offer training in.

With spring on the way, now is a good time to see who needs a refresher in your company or organization.

Confused about refresher training? Drop us an email and we’ll help you figure it out.

This month’s Spotlight is on the Oregon DEQ UST Program. Oregon was the first state back in 2003 to require that UST operators be trained to a minimum level of competence. Oregon chose to use state-approved third party trainers and let industry provide the training solutions. I can still remember packing a large group into a conference room at the Lake Oswego Crown Plaza hotel, everyone wondering what the heck we were going to talk about. This was the first state approved class in Oregon and in fact the nation.

12 years later UST Training has personally trained almost the entire state’s operator population and remains a regular trainer in Oregon, offering up to four lives classes per year in Portland and more statewide based on demand.

After working with inspectors and operators for over a decade in this state, I’ve come to really appreciate how things work in Oregon. Here’s what I like in particular.

Are you in Oregon and new to UST systems? Need some extra help figuring out what you must do to comply with UST rules?

The Oregon DEQ offers a free site visit for qualified UST owners. You must be a first time UST owner or permitee and must be a trained UST Class A/B operator.

UST Training just handed out our 400th UST Resources Bundle, a free collection of some of the best UST handouts available today. We offer this bundle to anyone who’s interested not only in being a trained Class A/B UST operator but the best operator possible. We’re proud to know that in 7 short months, 400 UST operators made the commitment.  The best operators, and the companies who are long term players in the world of UST systems, know the secret to success: The law of continuous improvement. Every day we look for ways to do the best we can.

Want your own UST Resource Bundle? Click here. And feel free to share this with others who share this value of excellence.

UST Training now offers Florida-specific UST training for Class A/B operators as well as Class C operators.  These courses are approved by the Florida DEP.

Florida Class A/B UST Operator Training For $169.95

Florida Class C UST Operator Training starting at $12.95 per/person. Bulk discounts automatically apply.

If you purchase one of the first 50 licenses you’ll receive a 20% discount off your purchase. Just use the coupon code FIRSTFLORIDA50.

Previously we offered training by reciprocity in West Virginia but the Florida DEP will no longer accept other state certificates after this August. We’ve been working hard to get our popular courses approved in Florida so now we’re ready to help you with your training needs in the Sunshine State.

Any questions please contact us.

The next Oregon Class A/B UST Operator Training class is set for Wednesday, June 10, 2015.

Oregon Class A/B UST Operator Training
George Fox University, 12753 SW 68th Avenue
Portland OR 97223-8305

Register now

EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks just published this useful bundle of technical support documents:

Natural disasters – such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and fires – are often unpredictable, cause significant damage, and can be costly to mitigate. Underground storage tank (UST) systems can be vulnerable to damage during natural disasters and can even release regulated substances into the environment. Before returning a damaged UST to service, the owner or operator needs to ensure the system has been properly evaluated and restored to safe operating condition.

EPA developed resources to help UST owners and operators prepare for, prevent, or lessen catastrophic effects and environmental harm from natural disasters.

• Underground Storage Tank Flood Guide
• Post-Severe Weather Checklist (DOCX) (2 pp, 23K)
• Post-Severe Weather Spreadsheet (XLSX) (1 pg, 13K)
• Climate Change Adaptation State UST Summary (PDF) (1 pg, 244 K)
  

Most states and territories have rules that allow for state UST inspectors to “red tag” or seal your fill pipe until certain compliance issues are addressed. Are you one of those states? Being the best UST operator you can be can help reduce the unwanted surprise of a red tag.

See EPA’s map of delivery prohibition state by state.

Want to learn more about being an effective UST operator? UST Training now offers a self-paced online course for advanced Class A/B operators or for anyone who wants to deeper their knowledge about being the best operator you can be. This half-hour course walks Class A/B operators through 11 ideas how to improve your operational compliance for your UST system. Learn from UST experts how to stay ahead of the compliance curve and stay out of trouble. This course comes with bonus handouts and links for advanced UST operators.
Buy now! Normally $19.95, with an introductory offer of $13.96.

On December 24, 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced adoption of the following regulations, effective January 2, 2015:

• 310 CMR 7.24(3) Distribution of Motor Vehicle Fuel (Stage I Vapor Recovery)
• 310 CMR 7.24(6) Dispensing of Motor Vehicle Fuel (Stage II Vapor Recovery)
• 310 CMR 80.00 Underground Storage Tank Regulations (UST)

Tank owners and operators are given 120 days’ grace period to comply with the new regulations, ending April 30, 2015.

Click here for highlights of changes most pertinent to tank owners and operators. Regulations, related materials and informational workshop dates are posted on MassDEP’s website.

We recently came across a good EPA video explaining Stage I vapor recovery. That’s the process of collected vapors during the delivery iof a UST delivery and returning those vapors back to the tanker truck for recycling.  It’s a tad wordy but worth sharing with folks who need a primer in Stage I rules.