Senate Approves Bill Extending Storage Tank Cleanup Program
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Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) Tuesday announced Senate Bill 1398 extending the sunset date of two critically important environmental protection grant programs unanimously passed the Senate. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
The bill would extend the sunset date of the Underground Storage Tank Environmental Cleanup Program and the Underground Storage Tank Pollution Prevention Program to June 30, 2017. Both programs were set to sunset in June of this year unless reauthorized by the legislature.
“Aging underground storage tanks are a very real environmental safety concern and it is imperative that we take these steps to protect our environment and help homeowners address any problems that arise before the contamination becomes more widespread and costly,” Sen. Yudichak said.
The Underground Storage Tank Environmental Cleanup Program provides financial assistance for owners of underground storage tanks with a capacity of 3,000 gallons or less. The Department of Environmental Protection is authorized to use $500,000 to provide reimbursements to tank owners for the actual costs of corrective action up to $5,000. The owner must first pay a $1,000 deductible to qualify for funding.
The Underground Storage Tank Pollution Prevention Program is a program designed to help small tank owners cover the cost of pumping out and sealing very old underground storage tanks that were never upgraded to meet regulations. Sen. Yudichak said that while the law authorizes DEP to use up to $1 million for small business owners.
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5/28/2012 |
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