UST Public Comment Period Extended

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I am writing to tell you that EPA is extending the public comment period until April 16, 2012 for the proposal to revise the federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations. As you know, EPA published a November 18, 2011 Federal Register notice, which contained the proposed regulations and established a 90 day comment period. We are now extending the comment period for an additional 60 days, as discussed in a pre-publication version of a Federal Register notice on EPA's website www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/proposedregs.html.

Several organizations requested an extension to the public comment period. Many of these requests focused on previously deferred tanks, including wastewater treatment tanks and airport hydrant systems at commercial airports, and the need to understand the potential impacts of the proposal on these systems. Recently, EPA became aware of additional commercial airports that may be impacted by the proposal. To more fully understand this universe, we will talk with groups that represent these systems. In order to obtain additional information on wastewater treatment tanks, we posed a number of questions about them in the proposal. To assist commenters with answering these questions, we are developing additional information regarding which wastewater treatment tanks are regulated under the existing UST regulations and which ones we are proposing to regulate under the proposal. We will post this document on our website in the next two weeks.

Stakeholders also requested additional time to review the Petroleum Equipment Institute's (PEI) proposed standard RP1200 which covers operation and maintenance testing for UST systems. This standard is currently available on PEI’s website for public comment and may be included in the final UST rule.

We worked with stakeholders early in the rulemaking process and provided a 90 day public comment period, which exceeded the required comment period. However, given the issues identified above and to ensure robust public involvement, we are providing an additional 60 days to comment on the proposed changes to the UST regulations.

Via this email, I am notifying interested and affected UST partners (such as state, territorial, and tribal UST programs; industry associations; environmental groups; other federal agencies) about the extension of the public comment period on the proposed changes. If you are aware of others who are interested in UST issues, I would greatly appreciate if you would let them know about this extension.

Please contact me or Liz McDermott (mcdermott.elizabeth@epa.gov or
703-603-7175) of my staff with questions or for more information.


Carolyn Hoskinson, Director
EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks