Underground Storage Tanks

Across the United States, local communities are grappling with what to do about abandoned, contaminated properties. Of the estimated 450,000 brownfields sites in the U.S., approximately one-half are thought to be impacted by underground storage tanks or some type of petroleum contamination. The Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) is responsible for promoting the cleanup of leaking underground storage tank (LUST) sites. One key element of this is to work together with federal, state, and local organizations and private partners to foster the reuse and subsequent economic recovery of petroleum-contaminated sites. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("Brownfields Law") passed, with a key provision allocating 25 percent of funding each year to assess, cleanup, and ready for reuse petroleum brownfields sites. The following pages offer a variety of methods to assist you in redeveloping your community.

Brownfields National Conference

EPA Grants for Petroleum Brownfields Properties

• 2006 Grant Recipients
• 2006 Grant Recipients list (PDF) (6 pp, 31K, About PDF)
• In January 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("Brownfields Law") was signed into law. This law expanded the original EPA Brownfields program by including relatively low-risk petroleum sites as eligible sites for Brownfields assessment and cleanup grant funding. By law, EPA must make available 25 percent of the total Brownfields grant funds each year for the assessment and/or cleanup of relatively low-risk petroleum-contaminated sites. In 2005, EPA awarded approximately $22 million in Brownfields grants to assess and clean-up petroleum-contaminated sites. For a list of the 2005 grant recipients, click here. For more information, see EPA's press release: $75.9 Million in Brownfield Grants Announced.

USTfields Initiative

Prior to the enactment of the 2002 Brownfields Law, petroleum-contaminated sites were not eligible for traditional Brownfields funding. Therefore, in 2000, in order to encourage the reuse of abandoned properties contaminated with petroleum from underground storage tanks, OUST created the USTfields Initiative. A total of 50 sites were awarded up to $100,000 each to assess, clean up, and ready for reuse high-priority petroleum-impacted sites. Although no new USTfields pilots will be awarded beyond the 50 pilots, opportunities to address relatively low risk petroleum sites are now available through the Brownfields assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund grants. In addition, high priority/risk sites can be addressed by the state through the LUST Trust Fund.

For more information on USTfields Pilots and Petroleum Brownfields, contact Steven McNeely (703-603-7164).

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