April 9

The U.S. EPA is distributing $197 million appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assess and clean up underground storage tank petroleum leaks.

The funds -- part of what is better known as the economic stimulus package -- will create or retain jobs and contribute to at least 1,600 cleanups around the country, according to the EPA.

The greatest potential hazard from a leaking underground storage tank is that the petroleum or other hazardous substances seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, which is the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans, according to the EPA.

The funds will be used for overseeing the assessment and cleanup of leaks from underground storage tanks or directly paying for assessment and cleanup of leaks from federally regulated tanks where the responsible party is unknown or unwilling or unable to pay for the cleanup, or when the cleanup is an emergency response.

States and territories will get $190.7 million of the total funding in the form of cooperative agreements to address shovel-ready sites within their jurisdictions. The EPA will use $6.3 million of the total funding to assess and clean up shovel-ready sites in Indian country.

The EPA´s regional underground storage tank programs will enter into cooperative agreements with states and territories in spring 2009. These cooperative agreements will include detailed descriptions of state spending plans.

Information on the underground storage tank funding and the EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is available online at www.epa.gov/oust/eparecovery

Contact Waste & Recycling News senior reporter Bruce Geiselman at 330-865-6172 or bgeiselman@crain.com

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