Underground Storage Tanks

• The PIRI Memorandum of Understanding
• Questions and Answers About PIRI
• Support Provided by PIRI (under development--check back regularly)
• PIRI Members
• PIRI Key Stakeholders
• PIRI Accomplishments
• RCBA Outreach

The Partnership In RBCA Implementation, or PIRI, is a voluntary public-private partnership whose goals are to increase awareness of the benefits of RBCA, encourage the expedited adoption of RBCA by states, and help provide states with the technical RBCA training they need to effectively implement RBCA programs for leaking underground storage tanks.

PIRI was founded in March 1996. PIRI members include:

• the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• the American Society of Testing and Materials (which developed the RBCA standard)
• State regulators
• Industry representatives (persons representing concerns, such as petroleum companies, that own a large number of underground storage tanks).

Membership in PIRI is open to any any owner of a large number of USTs or any organization representing a group of stakeholders (a stakeholder is any party that is interested in or affected by the RBCA process). PIRI meets approximately four times per year.

Two funds support the PIRI training/outreach component: a Cooperative Agreement and a Private Sector Account. EPA established the Cooperative Agreement with ASTM to provide RBCA training to state and tribal UST programs. Industry established the Private Sector Account to provide funds to ASTM.

Note: Though full PIRI Partners provide funding for RBCA, states should not view PIRI as a "blank check" that can be drawn on to fund any and all state RBCA activities. Partner financial support is limited to specific activities and amounts.

There are several levels of membership in PIRI. While any interested, qualifying (see above) party can participate in PIRI activities, only full Partners are voting members of the Partnership. Full Partners must:

• Sign the PIRI Memorandum of Understanding
• Contribute $100,000 (which is used to establish the Private Sector Account)
• Agree to support the RBCA implementation effort of at least one state in which it has no or minimal assets
• Commit to becoming a Key Stakeholder in several states.

Key Stakeholders coordinate the efforts of all other stakeholders within an individual state and take the lead in establishing a cluster of stakeholders within each state that is interested in developing a RBCA process. Two states (Michigan and Texas) have permanent seats on PIRI, but at each PIRI meeting, at least two "guest" states are invited.

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