EPA extends revised OUST rules comment deadline
BREAKING NEWS
2/9/12
According to an email received today from Carolyn Hoskinson, Director of EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks, EPA is extending the public comment period until April 16, 2012 for the proposal to revise the federal underground storage tank (UST) regulations. EPA published a November 18, 2011, Federal Register notice which contained the proposed regulations and established a 90 day comment period. They are now extending the comment period for an additional 60 days, as discussed in a pre-publication version of a Federal Register notice on EPA’s website www.epa.gov/oust/fedlaws/proposedregs.html.
Quoting from EPA’s email:
“Several organizations requested an extension to the public comment
period. Many of these requests focused on previously deferred tanks,
including wastewater treatment tanks and airport hydrant systems at commercial
airports, and the need to understand the potential impacts of the proposal on
these systems. Recently, EPA became aware of additional commercial airports
that may be impacted by the proposal. To more fully understand this universe,
we will talk with groups that represent these systems. In order to obtain
additional information on wastewater treatment tanks, we posed a number of
questions about them in the proposal. To assist commenters with answering
these questions, we are developing additional information regarding which
wastewater treatment tanks are regulated under the existing UST regulations
and which ones we are proposing to regulate under the proposal. We will post
this document on our website in the next two weeks.
“Stakeholders also requested additional time to review the Petroleum
Equipment Institute’s (PEI) proposed standard RP1200, which covers operation
and maintenance testing for UST systems. This standard is currently available
on PEI’s website for public comment and may be included in the final UST rule.
“We worked with stakeholders early in the rulemaking process and provided
a 90 day public comment period, which exceeded the required comment period.
However, given the issues identified above and to ensure robust public
involvement, we are providing an additional 60 days to comment on the proposed
changes to the UST regulations.”
For more information, contact:
Carolyn Hoskinson, Director, EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), hoskinson.carolyn@epa.gov
Liz McDermott, OUST Staff, mcdermott.elizabeth@epa.gov
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