The Storage Tank Advisory Committee’s Fee Subcommittee met for the second time this week to discuss a proposal by the Department of Environmental Protection to increase registration fees going into DEP’s Storage Tank Fund for underground and aboveground storage tanks.

DEP projects a deficit of over $1 million in the Storage Tank Fund beginning in fiscal year 2006-07 if the current fees are not increased.

Based on the discussion of this same Subcommittee last month, DEP revised it’s fee proposal to better describe what the agency’s need is to support the storage tank program in terms of personnel and operating expenses.

As a result, DEP proposed a new fee structure for discussion that lower fees from its original proposed increase in each category—

New

Original Proposed

Aboveground Tanks Now Fee Increase Increase Increase

Underground Tanks

DEP noted the fees have not been changed since the Storage Tank and Spill Reduction Act was passed in 1989.

At least one Subcommittee member said the federal storage tank cleanup program owed Pennsylvania millions of dollars in cleanup funds and suggested no state fees should be raised until the federal monies could be obtained.

As a result of the discussion this week, the Subcommittee voted to recommend the proposal be discussed by the full Storage Tank Advisory Committee.

10/15/2004