Source: http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/fedlaws/pre2804g.htm
Timestamp: 2015-01-30 12:32:50
Document Index: 306648048

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 280', 'arts 280', '§ 280', '§ 280', '§ 280', '§ 280', '§ 280', '§ 280', '§ 280']

53 FR 37082-37247 Friday, Sept. 23, 1988 40 CFR Parts 280 and 281, Underground Storage Tanks; Technical Requirements and State Program Approval; Final Rules--Preamble Section IV. Analysis of Today's Rule--G. Out-of-Service UST Systems and Closures | Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) | US EPA
53 FR 37082-37247 Friday, Sept. 23, 1988 40 CFR Parts 280 and 281, Underground Storage Tanks; Technical Requirements and State Program Approval; Final Rules--Preamble Section IV. Analysis of Today's Rule--G. Out-of-Service UST Systems and Closures
(37181-37185)
G. Out-of-Service UST Systems and Closures
2. Temporary Closure (§ 280.70)
3. Permanent Closure (§ 280.71)
4. Assessing the Site at Closure (§ 280.72)
5. Applicability to Previously Closed UST Systems (§ 280.73)
6. Closure Records (§ 280.74)
IV.G. Out-Of-Service UST Systems and Closures
As discussed in the preamble to the proposed rule, the
principal objective of the UST system closure requirements
is to identify and contain existing contamination and to
prevent future releases from UST systems no longer in
service (52 FR 12757). Available information suggested that
UST systems improperly closed in the past have had
undetected releases that later required corrective action.
More of these systems may be found to have leaked and, in
the future, require additional corrective action. Because a
large number of existing UST systems are expected to close
in the next 5 to 10 years, EPA believes that it is
particularly important to require proper management
procedures for out-of-service UST systems so that
contamination due to improperly closed UST systems can be
prevented from posing a threat of additional releases in the
future and needed corrective action can be identified and
taken. The comments on the proposal generally acknowledged
that proper closure is an important aspect of sound UST
The closure procedures are covered in §§ 280.70
through 280.74 of the final rule. Section 280.70 describes
the requirements that must be complied with at all UST
systems temporarily closed for less than 12 months. It also
requires tanks that do not meet requirements for new or
upgraded USTs, and that are taken out of service for 12
months or longer, to permanently close. Those USTs that do
meet requirements for new or upgraded USTs can remain
indefinitely out of service. Section 280.71 provides
requirements for permanently closing or changing the service
of an UST system, including identification of alternative
methods for permanent closure and procedures for continuing
the service life of an UST system when it is to be used for
the storage of non-regulated substances. Section 280.72
describes the requirements for assessing the UST system
excavation zone at closure. Section 280.73 requires owners
and operators to apply the permanent closure and site
assessment requirements of the final rules to UST systems
taken out of service before the effective date of the
regulations, if so directed by the implementing agency.
Section 280.74 lists the recordkeeping requirements. These
proposed requirements, highlights of public comments on
them, and the Agency's approach to the final UST system
closure standards are discussed in more detail below.
To prevent owners and operators from improperly closing
UST systems in the future, EPA proposed requirements in
§ 280.80(a)-(b) for tanks temporarily taken out of
service for up to 24 months. These provisions only covered
UST systems when a regulated substance was left in the tank
and did not distinguish between unprotected tanks and
protected tanks that met the requirements for new or
upgraded UST systems.
The applicability of these requirements depends upon what
constitutes temporary closure. Although a number of
suggestions were received, generally commenters recommended
defining temporarily closed based on both the use of the
tank and how frequently regulated substances are typically
moved through it. The failure to fill and/or take regulated
substances from a tank on a regular basis, however, was not
always considered to be a reasonable criterion for
determining the tank was temporarily closed. Commenters
cited several examples of infrequently used tanks where
temporary closure was not appropriate, including emergency
generator tanks and backup system tanks from which fuels
were not typically dispensed for long periods of time.
The Agency believes that owners and operators will
generally pay more attention to tanks that are used
frequently than to those that are used only occasionally or
are temporarily closed. Thus, the operation and maintenance
procedures used to ensure the integrity of a tank and the
effectiveness of release detection efforts instituted to
identify leaks in and around a tank will be somewhat related
to whether the tank is being actively used or not. Other
possible factors in determining whether a tank is
temporarily closed include adherence to the normal operation
and maintenance procedures at the facility, the types and
amounts of regulated substances stored at the facility, the
likelihood that an undetected leak has occurred or may occur
in the future, and the potential that the tank has become a
receptacle for illegal dumping. The Agency does not intend