Getting reimbursed for UST cleanup

Journal Article · Wed Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1993 · Pollution Engineering; (United States)

OSTI ID:6776779

Dunn, B ^[1]

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1. Groundwater Technology, Inc., Tampa, FL (United States)

To accelerate the pace of underground storage tank (UST) cleanup, many states now have programs that reimburse UST owners for money spent on various phases of soil and groundwater remediation. Many other states are enacting these programs. At their best, these programs have provided an incentive for those who operate USTs of all sizes to report and clean up contamination problems. Many states were surprised at the numbers of UST owners who came forward. This was certainly the case in Florida. In 1987, Florida's Department of Environmental Regulation (DER), in order to obtain rapid disclosure and meet remediation of leaking USTs, developed its Early Detection Incentive (EDI) program, which is now becoming a model for other states. Two important provisions of the program are amnesty from prosecution for not having previously reported leaking tanks and nearly full funding from the state for tank removal and cleanup. Prior to EDI, less than 1,000 petroleum USTs had been reported. As of May 1992, the number had reached 9,444 - about five times more sites than had been anticipated. While EDI has removed the threat of prosecution by the state for non-disclosure of leaking tanks, it does not absolve the responsible parties from potential liabilities due to underground plumes of contamination migrating off-site onto other properties. If the responsible parties wan to take charge of their own cleanup projects, they must advance the money for each stage of the operation. The cost of assessment and remediation of these sites can amount to several hundred thousand dollars. Consequently, swift negotiation in receiving state agency approval for various remediation phases, as well as site closure, can significantly shorten the amount of time it takes to get reimbursement from the state. Therefore, there is considerable incentive for the responsible parties to get their sites cleaned up as quickly as possible.

• OSTI ID: 6776779
• Journal Information: Pollution Engineering; (United States), Journal Name: Pollution Engineering; (United States) Vol. 25:7; ISSN PLENBW; ISSN 0032-3640
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
CONTAINERS
CONTAMINATION
COST
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEAKS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOILS
STORAGE
TANKS
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
WATER