Underground Storage Tanks

To encourage the reuse of abandoned properties contaminated with petroleum from underground storage tanks (UST's), OUST created the USTfields Initiative in 2000. USTfields are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial properties where revitalization is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination from underground storage tanks. The purpose of these pilots was to promote: the importance of public-private partnerships; the critical role of the state as the primary implementing agency; and the leveraging of private funds to maximize cleanups. A total of 50 USTfields Pilots were awarded up to $100,000 each from the LUST Trust Fund to assess, clean up and ready for reuse high-priority petroleum-impacted sites.

Although no new USTfields pilots will be awarded beyond the 50 pilots, funding for similar assessment and clean up projects is available through the Brownfields assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund grants and through the LUST Trust Fund. Many of the USTfields pilots are still ongoing, and more information on each of them and the program itself can be found below.

Background on 50 USTFields Pilots

• USTfield Initiatives Poster (PDF) (1 pg, 4MB, About PDF) Reuse Poster
• UST and Brownfield Sites Pilot Summary(PDF) (7 pp, 37K, About PDF) Short Summary of the 40 New Pilots
• USTfields Pilots (PDF) (2 pp, 38K, About PDF) Initial USTfields Pilots
  (a brief summary of pilots in each of the 10 EPA regions)
• Complete Summaries of the 40 New Pilots
• Complete Summaries of the 10 Pilots
• USTfields Pilots map (PDF) (1 pg, 110K, About PDF) Color Map Showing Locations of 40 New Pilots (NOTE: to print in B&W, you must use a Post Script printer for best results)
• USTfields Initial Pilots map (PDF) (1 pg, 101K, About PDF) Color Map Showing Locations of 10 Initial Pilots
• Federal Register Notice (August 23, 2001) (HTML format)
• Proposal Guidelines for USTfields Pilots (PDF) (28 pp, 2MB, About PDF) Proposal Guidelines for USTfields Pilots
• Questions And Answers On The USTfields Pilots Proposal Guidance (HTML format)
• EPA Environmental News (PDF) (3 pp, 13K, About PDF) EPA Announces Award of 40 New USTfields Pilots

Recycling America's Gas Stations

• Northeast Midwest (NEMW) and National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals (NALGEP) Report on Initial USTfields Pilots Report is available on the Northeast Midwest Institute Web Site in PDF format: Recycling America's Gas Stations (110 pp, 3.1MB, About PDF)

For more information on USTfields Pilots contact Steven McNeely at mcneely.steven@epa.gov or (703-603-7164).

Top of page