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Many Underground Tank Operators Can Expect Stiff Fines

Release Date: 9/1/1998
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

    Recent inspections performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology (ADPCE) indicate that few owners/operators of underground storage tanks comply with environmental regulations.

     The agencies conducted joint inspections of 60 facilities the last week of July. Forty-six were in violation of existing state and federal rules and were issued penalties. Few would be in compliance with regulations which take effect Dec. 22, 1998.

     "These numbers are disheartening, especially considering that owners have been on notice for 10 years that tanks must comply by December 22," EPA Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.

     These regulations were adopted in 1988 to increase protection of  the nation's drinking water. Ground water is the sole drinking water source for nearly half of all Americans. The majority of ground water contamination has been traced to faulty storage tanks.

     The standards apply to buried tanks, mainly those used for gasoline and other petroleum products at service stations and fleet refueling depots. Some industrial facilities use underground tanks to store hazardous chemicals.

     Underground tanks installed since Dec. 22, 1988, must meet regulations requiring overfill/spill prevention devices, leak detection systems and corrosion protection. Tanks installed on or before this date must be upgraded to these standards, replaced or properly closed.

     Concerned about the low rate of compliance in Arkansas, EPA has been working closely with ADPCE in its enforcement activities. The latest round of inspections resulted in fines ranging from $50 to $1,200. Most penalties were for inadequate leak detection, which has been required since 1993.

     The July inspections also produced some surprises about the compliance rates among different classes of owners. Operators who own only one facility are more likely to be prepared to comply with the law by Dec. 22, 1998. Thirty-six percent of these "mom and pop" stations inspected are in compliance with the 1998 standards. Owners of more than 12 facilities had less than one-quarter of their facilities ready for the approaching compliance deadline. While only 8 percent of mid-sized owners, those with between two and twelve facilities, were ready for the December compliance deadline.

     To ensure that owners who choose to ignore the law do not receive unfair economic advantage over those who comply with the standards, penalties of up to $11,000 per tank for each day of violation have been authorized.

     With less than six months remaining before the new regulations go into effect and a limited number of contractors able to do the work, it is evident that many underground tank owners will be scrambling to upgrade their tanks in time to avoid paying large penalties.

                           
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS: The following is a list of facilities inspected during the week of July 27, 1998.

WILLIAM GUTHRIE GROCERY HWY 316 AT TRENTON, MARVELL
Owner: THOMAS TURNER OIL
Penalty: $600

CIRCLE N EXXON HWY 49 & QUARLES LANES, WEST HELENA
Owner: NIMOCK'S OIL CO, FORREST CITY
Penalty: $600

KWIK STOP #4 OAKLAND AND PERRY ST., HELENA
Owner: THOMAS PETROLEUM INC, WEST HELENA
Penalty: $450

JOHNNY'S SERVICE STATION COLUMBIA AND RIGHTOR, HELENA
Owner: CAMILLE BROWN, P.O. BOX 127, MARVELL
Penalty: $600

KWIK STOP II OAKLAND AVE., HELENA
Owner: THOMAS PETROLEUM INC., WEST HELENA
Penalty: $150

CLINT'S SERVICE STATION 201 S. MAIN, BRINKLEY
Owner: FELICIA MARTIN
Penalty: $300

WEBB'S SERVICE STATION, INC. 3217 HWY 65 & 82 S, LAKE VILLAGE
Owner: LARRY WEBB
Penalty: $150

HANDI KORNER NO. 2,  STATE HWY 82 & 65, LAKE VILLAGE
Owner: SANDERLIN OIL CO. HAMBURG, AR
Penalty: $750

NORRIS BUTANE 1525 HWY 65 AND 82, LAKE VILLAGE
Owner: G.A. NORRIS BUTANE, LAKE VILLAGE
Penalty: $900

EUDORA STATION HWY 165, EUDORA
Owner: G.A. NORRIS BUTANE, LAKE VILLAGE
Penalty: $300

BUNKER QUICK STOP HWY 165 S., LAKE VILLAGE
Owner: NW BUNKER III, ESTATE, LAKE VILLAGE, AR
Penalty: $1,050

HWY 31-38 MART 170 SIMS LANE, WARD
Owner: IRA SIMS
Penalty: $900

#1 FOOD STORE 870 SOUTH BISCOE, HELENA
Owner: MID-SOUTH SALES, INC, 520 WALNUT ST., HELENA
In Compliance

DOUBLE QUICK #82 404 ARMSTRONG, EUDORA
Owner: DOUBLE QUICK, INC., INDIANNA, MISS.
In Compliance

CABOT U-SERVE  2nd  STREET, CABOT
Owner: ROSCOE CASH
Penalty: to be determined

WORTH JAMES CONSTRUCTION CO. 3312 FAIR PARK BLVD., LITTLE ROCK
Owner: GASTON P. GIBSON, JAMES WORTH CONST. CO.
Penalty: $150

DOUBLE QUIK #4 12106 SARDIS ROAD, LITTLE ROCK
Owner: ALLEY DEVELOPMENT CO.
Penalty: $600

LARRY MOYER TRUCKING, INC. 13506 IRONTON CUT OFF ROAD, LITTLE ROCK
Owner: LARRY MOYER TRUCKING
Penalty: $900

JR FOOD MART 202 4209 KIEHL AVE., SHERWOOD
Owner: JR FOOD MART OF ARKANSAS, INC.
Penalty: $450

ROCKY'S ONE STOP #3/LEE'S CITGO 6116 CRYSTAL HILL & I40, N. LITTLE ROCK
Owner: INTERSTATE COMPANY - R.J. YELENICH
Penalty: $750

JCT. MARKET HWY 161, NORTH LITTLE ROCK
Owner: TROUTMAN OIL INC.
Penalty: $700

KIM'S QUIK STOP 1513 WASHINGTON AVE., N. LITTLE ROCK
Owner: LA SHER OIL CO., INC.
In Compliance

CARCO RENTALS TRUCK STOP 3403 E. ROOSEVELT RD., LITTLE ROCK
Owner: CARCO CARRIAGE CORP.
Penalty: $600

KINGWOOD EXXON 7600 CANTRELL ROAD, LITTLE ROCK
Owner: CHRIS ALBRIGHT
Penalty: $750

MOM'S CORNER STORE 15201 CHICOT, LITTLE ROCK
Owner: NORTHERN OIL CO.
Penalty: $250

#123 PHILLIPS 66 EAST 20708 ARCH ST., HENSLEY
Owner: THOMAS OIL CO.
Penalty: $100

JR FOOD MART 1900 CENTRAL, HOT SPRINGS
Owner: JR FOOD MART OF ARKANSAS, INC.
Penalty: $350

PARK AVENUE EXXON 701 PARK AVENUE, HOT SPRINGS
Owner: LONNIE HARRIS, INC.
In Compliance

UPS 807 MID AMERICA PARK, HOT SPRINGS
Owner: UPS In Compliance

US FUEL EXPRESS MART #3 I-30 & SEVIER ST., BENTON
Owner: TROUTMAN OIL INC.
Penalty: $650

DJ'S CITGO 1519 S. KNOXVILLE, RUSSELVILLE
Owner: DARREN AND JOHN ROLAND
Penalty: $1,200

JASON'S SERVICE CENTER HWY  62, SALEM
Owner: W. R. MURPHY (MURPHY OIL)
Penalty: $600

HARDY SERVICE CENTER 520 MAIN ST., HARDY
Owner: W. R. MURPHY (MURPHY OIL)
Penalty: $900

ASH FLAT MINI MART HWY'S 62 & 167, ASH FLAT
Owner: MATTHEWS, INC.
Penalty: $900

QUICK CONNECTION HWY 178, BULL SHOALS
Owner: DAVID M. GWALTNEY
Penalty: $300

JAY'S SERVICE HWY'S 59 & 14, MOUNTAIN VIEW
Owner: HOWARD HAYDEN
Penalty: $950

BRICKSHY'S COUNTRY CROSSROADS HWY'S 5, 9 & 14N, ALLISON
Owner: BRICKSHY'S WHITE RIVER RESORT, LLC
Penalty: $600

HARDEE'S EXXON TRAVEL MART HWY'S 5, 9 & 14, MOUNTAIN VIEW
Owner: ROSA ENTERPRISES/DIAMOND HOSPITALITY
Penalty: $900

HOOKRUM STATION HWY  167, EVENING SHADE
Owner: NORMAN & GLADYS GREGSON
Penalty: $750

HARPS FOOD STORE #188 HWY  65, MARSHALL
Owner: HARPS FOOD STORES, INC.
Penalty: $300

WHISTLE STOP EXPRESS HWY 65N, MARSHALL, AR
Owner: LEROY SULLIES
Penalty: $150

MISTY'S CONOCO HWY  65N, LESLIE
Owner: JERRY PASSPORT
Penalty:  $600

MARSHALL TRAVEL CENTER HWY  65N, MARSHALL
Owner: JOHN STACKS
Penalty: $400

JR FOOD MART #161 401 E. MAIN, MOUNTAIN VIEW
Owner: JR FOOD MART OF ARKANSAS, LITTLE ROCK, AR
In Compliance

GREENLAND MINI MART HWY 71 SOUTH, GREENLAND
Owner: MOE ASSEN
Penalty: $1,200

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TRUCK AND EQUIPMENT 2675 W. SUNSET, SPRINGDALE
Owner: NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TRUCK AND EQUIPMENT
Penalty: $150

BENTON COUNTY AIR SERVICE 500 AIRPORT RD, BENTONVILLE
Owner: BENTON COUNTY AIR SERVICE
Penalty: $300

ED WILLIAMS CONSTRUCTION 5505 S. 30th, FORT SMITH
Owner: ED WILLIAMS CONSTRUCTION
Penalty: $300

GREENWOOD AREA HQ  ARKANSAS HIGHWAY & TRANSPORTATION DEPT 300 W. ELM, GREENWOOD
Owner: ARKANSAS HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPT
Penalty: $750

SEBASTIAN COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENT 201 SOUTH COKER ST., GREENWOOD
Owner: SEBASTIAN COUNTY
Penalty: $750

RANDALL FORD 5500 ROGERS AVE, FORT SMITH
Owner: RANDALL FORD
Penalty: $800

ARKANSAS STATE POLICE, TROOP L 900 SOUTH 48th STREET, SPRINGDALE
Owner: ARKANSAS STATE POLICE
Penalty: $50

WAL-MART FLEET MAINTENANCE 1105« S. E. 5th, BENTONVILLE
Owner: WAL-MART STORES
Penalty: $600

GEORGE'S INC. 402 E ROBINSON, SPRINGDALE
Owner: GEORGE'S INC. In Compliance

FASTRIP #25 307 S. WALTON BLVD, BENTONVILLE
Owner: FASTRIP CORPORATION, CARTHAGE, MO
In Compliance

HARDINGS MONTE NE 13849 E. HWY 94, ROGERS
Owner: RAYMOND HARDING
In Compliance

UNITED PARCEL SERVICE 6715 S. 28th, FORT SMITH
Owner: UNITED PARCEL SERVICE, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72206
In Compliance

TAC AIR 5020 AIRPORT BLVD, FORT SMITH
Owner: TRUMAN ARNOLD CO., TEXARKANA, TX 75501
In Compliance

DOUG'S EASTSIDE CONVENIENCE STORE 9017 ROGER'S AVE, FORT SMITH
Owner: SSS ENTERPRISES
In Compliance

ARKANSAS OKLAHOMA GAS OPERATIONS CENTER 5030 South S STREET, FORT SMITH
Owner: ARKANSAS OKLAHOMA GAS CORPORATION
In Compliance