What Is The History Of The Federal Underground Storage Tank Program?
Until the mid-1980s most underground storage tanks (USTs) were made of bare steel, which is likely to corrode over time and allow UST contents to leak into the environment. The greatest potential hazard from a leaking UST is that its contents (petroleum or other hazardous substances) can seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans.
To address a nationwide problem of leaking USTs, Congress passed a series of laws to protect human health and the environment.
1984: | Subtitle I was added to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) through the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments
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1986: | Subtitle I was amended through the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act
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2005: | Energy Policy Act of 2005 amended Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act
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A complete version of the law that governs underground storage tanks (USTs) is available in the U.S. Code, Title 42, Chapter 82, Subchapter IX . This law incorporates amendments to Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act and gives EPA the authority to regulate USTs. Subchapter IX: Regulation of Underground Storage Tanks (41 pp, 126K, About PDF) provides a downloadable file of the regulation. This law incorporates amendments to Subtitle I of the Solid Waste Disposal Act and Title XV, Subtitle B of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) (551 pp, 3.1MB, About PDF).
Use this link for additional information on EPA's laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to USTs.
Because of the large size and diversity of the regulated community, states and territories are the primary implementers of the UST program.