Idaho’s UST Program

UST Program Summary  Fairly New Program  Energy Act of 2005  Statute Feb  Rules April 2008  State Program Approval Feb. 2012

State Program Approval  Effective February 28 th, 2012  What does this mean?  Idaho operates the UST program in lieu of EPA  If EPA conducts inspections they must use Idaho’s rules  Idaho has the lead in conducting enforcement

Idaho’s Tank Universe is Growing…  2013 is the busiest the tank program has ever been.  When comparing new installs vs. closures:  FY 2010 – 90% decrease  FY 2011 – 51% decrease  FY 2012 – 18% growth  FY 2013 – 73% growth

..but Idaho’s UST Budget is Shrinking  The Program is funded through EPA. A year ago EPA cut the UST budget $100,000. The cut continues again this year with more cuts anticipated.  What does this mean?  Idaho will not meet its 3 year statutory inspection cycle  EPA (or its contractors) will have to perform inspections  Idaho risks losing what we all worked so hard to achieve over the last 5 years, State Program Approval.

Fiscal Year 2013 in Review  Operator Training  Online:  Inspections  Currently meeting 3 year inspection cycle but will most likely fall behind Spring 2014  Enforcement  Informal Warnings – 100 facilities  Formal Warnings – 87 facilities  Field Notices of Violations - 9 facilities

Most Common Violations 1. Release detection records 2. No piping release detection 3. Functional spill bucket 4. Corrosion testing 5. Flex connectors touching soil 6. Training Class C operators 7. Installing overfill 8. Insurance 9. Operator training list 10. Trained A or B operator

EPA Proposed Regulations  Nov/Dec 2013  Some of the proposed changes include:  Monthly walkthrough inspections  Annually test spill buckets or use double-walled ones  Annually test release detection equipment (ATGs, sensors)  Every 3 years test overfill  Every 3 years test secondary containment

EPA Proposed Regulations  Emergency generators must do release detection  Oil-water separators must follow regulations  No more ballfloats  Tanks must be closed if internal lining fails  SIR cannot go past 30 days to receive a result  Any ethanol greater than 10% must prove compatibility

EPA Final Regulations  Once EPA finalizes its regulations:  I will travel throughout the State to explain the regulations and answer any questions.  Idaho has 3 years to adopt the regulations or create no-less stringent rules and re-apply for State Program Approval.

For More Information  DEQ’s UST Website: remediation/storage-tanks.aspx  View all of Idaho’s UST sites at: Call or me: Kristi Lowder