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EPA Fines Fuels and Supplies Inc. for Underground Storage Tank Violations

Release Date: 03/13/2006
Contact Information: Dave Bary, (214) 665-2200, [email protected]

(Dallas, Tex. – Mar. 13, 2006) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled a complaint against Fuels and Supplies, Inc., of Springdale, Arkansas, for violations of federal and state underground storage tank (UST) regulations found during a joint compliance inspection with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in April and May 2004.

Fuels and Supplies, Inc., a convenience store, agreed to a penalty of $70,382 and to come into compliance with federal UST regulations at six facilities located in the cities of Springdale, Rogers, Lowell and Johnson. The complaint involved 19 USTs and 14 violations. The violations were mainly for failure to provide adequate corrosion protection on metal components, testing of installed corrosion protection systems and release detection monitoring and record keeping for tanks and piping.

“Working together, EPA, the state and businesses have made tremendous progress in preventing leaking underground storage tanks,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “One gallon of gasoline can contaminate five million gallons of drinking water, and half of Americans obtain their drinking water from ground water sources. It makes good sense to enforce the law.”

Underground storage tank regulations were implemented to prevent fuel leaks by installing spill and overfill equipment and corrosion protection systems, and to require owners and operators to have certain equipment and methods in place to detect releases early, should they occur. These regulations became effective December 22, 1988. As part of the new energy bill signed into law by President Bush in August 2005, owners and operators will be required to obtain training in the operation of USTs, and the implementing agencies will be required to increase the frequency of inspections.

More information on the EPA’s Underground Storage Tank program is available at www.epa.gov/swerust1/.