The V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) advises all gas station owners and/or operators of underground storage tanks that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 2, will be conducting underground storage tank (UST) inspections in the St. Croix District on or about the week of April 11.
EPA has authority to conduct underground storage tanks inspection(s) and to enforce federal underground storage tank regulations in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA), 42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq. (collectively referred to as RCRA or the Act). Mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, either EPA or DPNR is required to inspect all federally regulated underground storage tanks systems every three years.
Before the inspections occur, EPA encourages owners and operators of underground storage tank systems to review compliance with the federal underground storage tank regulations. This includes ensuring all required documentation is completed and available for review during the inspections.
If areas of concern are identified, they must be rectified immediately. EPA’s enforcement staff will review the information gathered during the inspection(s) and, if violations are found, will determine what enforcement actions are necessary.
Note that violations of federal underground storage tank regulations may result in enforcement actions with penalties of up to $24,730 per UST system per day of violation. Therefore, DPNR and EPA encourages owners and operators of underground storage tank systems to take immediate steps to ensure compliance with the federal underground storage tank regulations that may be found at 40 C.F.R. Part 280.
Interested persons can also visit https://www.epa.gov/ust/musts-usts for EPA’s guidance document “Musts for USTs.”
For more information or if there are questions or concerns, contact Austin Callwood, director of the Division of Environmental Protection at 774-3320 or by email at austin.callwood@dpnr.vi.gov.
