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2015 Revisions to Federal UST Rules

On July 15, 2015, EPA published revised underground storage tank (UST) regulations in the Federal Register, providing the first major federal UST rule revision since 1988. After an opportunity for public comment, the rule package became effective on October 13, 2015. The UST rule revisions impact certain portions of the 1988 UST technical standards in 40 CFR Part 280. These include:

• Adding secondary containment requirements for new and replaced tanks and product lines;
• Adding operator training requirements;
• Adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems;
• Adding requirements regarding UST system compatibility and certain biofuel blends;
• Removing deferrals for emergency generator tanks, airport hydrant systems, and field-constructed tanks;
• Updating referenced codes of practice; and
• Making various editorial and technical corrections.

Compliance deadlines depend on the specific rule requirement, and are phased in between October 13, 2015 – October 13, 2018. The specific requirements that become effective at each deadline are outlined below:

Source: EPA-F-15-001

Michigan is one of 16 states that does not have State Program Authority (SPA) from the EPA to administer the federal UST program, therefore the deadlines shown in the above table apply. If you own or operate USTs in one of the 38 states with SPA, you must follow the state requirements and deadlines (which may be different than those identified above). State UST programs that have received approval are shown at the following link: http://www.epa.gov/ust/state-underground-storage-tank-ust-programs.

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