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Risk-based decision-making at LUST sites could ease corrective action costs

Journal Article · · Hazmat World; (United States)
OSTI ID:7066681
 [1]
  1. South Dakota Petroleum Release Compensation Fund, Pierre, SD (United States)

Promulgation of EPA's underground storage tank (UST) regulations prompted the discovery of many petroleum releases and prompted widespread remediation efforts. State cleanup funding has accelerated cleanup activity, contributing about $1 billion a year toward UST corrective actions. Unfortunately, many state funding agencies, insurers and private businesses lack the resources to finance UST cleanups to the stringent levels often required by state regulatory programs. In many cases, UST corrective action expenses could be reduced substantially if target cleanup levels were based on risk. Clear, standardized guidance on risk-based corrective action has not been available until recently. Although risk-based cleanups have been encouraged and even occasionally implemented, many regulators, environmental consultants and tank owners still are uncomfortable with the practice. In response to this need, ASTM has initiated the Risk-Based Corrective Action Guide to standardize existing and developing procedures for determining risk-based cleanup goals, and to identify the level of complexity required for site assessments, and fate and transport modeling. Because ASTM has yet to authorize the guide, it cannot be published or distributed except under the group's normal balloting and peer review procedures. However, the organization has presented information on how the guide was developed.

OSTI ID:
7066681
Journal Information:
Hazmat World; (United States), Journal Name: Hazmat World; (United States) Vol. 7:4; ISSN HMWOED; ISSN 0898-5685
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English