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U.S. EPA CITES HONOLULU POLICE GARAGE FOR LEAK DETECTION VIOLATIONS; WARNS FUEL TANK OWNERS OF LOOMING DECEMBER DEADLINE

Release Date: 2/25/1998
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA (415) 744-1578

     (San Francisco) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) cited seven fuel tank facilities in Hawaii, including the Honolulu Police Station's Pawaa Annex Garage, a total of $2,650 for violating underground tank leak prevention rules under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).  The citations were the result of inspections conducted jointly by U.S. EPA and the Hawaii Department of Health in Hawaii (HDOH) during late January.  U.S. EPA also reminded owners and operators of  underground fuel storage tanks that they have only 10 months left to upgrade their tanks to meet the December 22, 1998 deadline to comply with national leak detection standards.

     The Honolulu Police Station's Pawaa Annex Garage was fined $450 for its violations.  The other facilities with significant violations included Holiday Action Gas ($900), Iolani School ($450), and Niu Valley Unocal ($600), all in Honolulu.  The violations included failure to permanently close or upgrade a temporarily closed underground tank, failure to notify the Hawaii Department of Health when fuel inventory control records indicated a leak, and failure to test underground tanks annually for leaks.

     "Owners of underground fuel storage tanks should be aware that they now have just 10 months left to upgrade or replace their tanks," said Julie Anderson, director of the waste management division for U.S. EPA's western regional office.  "It can take several months to line up a qualified contractor and complete the work, so tank owners must start planning now to meet the December 22, 1998 deadline.  These upgrades are crucial to preventing groundwater and soil contamination caused by leaking underground tanks."

     The new leak prevention standards have already been in effect for new underground fuel tanks installed since 1988.  Owners of older tanks, however, were given until the end of 1998 to upgrade or close their tanks.   In the interim, U.S. EPA and HDOH are enforcing existing leak detection standards by inspecting underground fuel tanks and issuing citations.

     The U.S. EPA's underground storage tank (UST) field citation program is designed to quickly bring facilities owned or operated as small businesses into compliance with federal UST regulations. The citations impose penalties which generally range from $50 to $300 per violation, and require owners and operators to take quick measures to comply.  The facilities have thirty days to come into compliance, submit requested documentation, and pay the settlement amount. If they do not, they will be subject to a more formal enforcement action, which carries much stiffer penalties of up to $11,000 per day per violation.
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