WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it will extend the deadline for public comments for the proposed changes to the 1988 underground storage tank (UST) technical, financial responsibility, and state program approval regulations published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2011.

These changes establish federal requirements that are similar to key portions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; they also update certain 1988 UST regulations. Proposed changes include: adding secondary containment requirements for new and replaced tanks and piping; adding operator training requirements; adding periodic operation and maintenance requirements for UST systems; removing certain deferrals; adding new release prevention and detection technologies; updating codes of practice; making editorial and technical corrections; and updating state program approval requirements to incorporate these new changes.

These changes will likely protect human health and the environment by increasing the number of prevented UST releases and quickly detecting them, if they occur. This document extends the comment period for 60 days, from February 16 until April 16.

Send comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-UST-2011-0301 via regulations.gov or email them to mcdermott.elizabeth@epa.gov.