For Release: December 16, 1998

Contact: Terrence Gray 222-2797

PROVIDENCE - As the nationwide December 22 deadline for upgrading underground storage tanks approaches, the Department of Environmental Management today reports that 83 percent of the state's registered tanks are now in compliance, a rate that is sixth highest in the country.

"The great majority of facilities have come into compliance," said DEM Director Andy McLeod, "and we applaud the owners and operators who have invested in making sure their tanks are environmentally safe and secure."

Under federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations that took effect in 1988, as well as complementary state regulations enacted in 1993, tanks installed before December 1988 must be either upgraded, replaced, or closed by December 22, 1998. To be in compliance, upgraded tanks must meet specific standards governing corrosion protection, spill containment, and overfill protection.

When the federal regulations took effect in 1988, there were more than 6,000 underground tanks in Rhode Island used to store motor fuels or hazardous materials. Over the past ten years, DEM's underground storage tank program has been actively working with tank owners, marketers and distributors, state facilities, and the League of Cities and Towns to promote compliance with the federal and state regulations. The results have been impressive: over 5,000 tanks not meeting the standards have been closed, nearly 1,400 tanks meeting the new standards have been installed, and hundreds more have been upgraded.

Over the past year, DEM's Office of Waste Management, which administers the tank program, intensified its efforts to promote compliance, triggering a surge of activity by tank owners and operators. Whereas more than 1,000 of the nearly 2,700 tanks registered in Rhode Island had not been upgraded to meet the new standards as of last spring, the number has dropped steadily and is expected to be down to approximately 500 tanks at about 150 facilities by the 22^nd. According to a recently published national survey in USA Today (12/10/98), Rhode Island's compliance rate is the sixth highest in the country.

"Rhode Island's strong response to the tank upgrade issue reflects favorably on the ability of government and industry to work together cooperatively to achieve voluntary compliance with the law," McLeod said. "And, of course, it is also very good news for the environment." Leaking underground tanks are the most common source of groundwater contamination, and petroleum is the most common contaminant. Two thirds of Rhode Island communities rely in whole or in significant part on groundwater for their drinking water supplies, and 12 of those communities derive all of their drinking water from groundwater.

After the December 22 deadline, DEM will identify the tanks that remain out of compliance, notify the owners, and initiate appropriate enforcement action. "The Department will be addressing the issue of noncompliance in a firm, fair, and reasonable manner," said McLeod. "We will be guided by common sense, meaning that we will inspect and prioritize all non-compliant facilities, and then act on the most egregious situations first."