The Environmental Quality Board will consider proposed permit review fee increases for the Noncoal (mineral) Mining Program and updates to the Storage Tank regulations required by recent federal changes at its October 17 meeting.

The proposed noncoal mining fee increases would be phased in over six years both on permit reviews and an annual permit administration fee that DEP hopes will raise about $1.2 million to fully fund the program.  The total annual cost of the program is about $3 million.

Another change would index future annual increases to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics index.

The fee schedule, phasing in the increases and the indexing were recommendations made by DEP’s Aggregate Advisory Board.

The proposed update to the Storage Tank regulations contain changes required by the federal Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program for Pennsylvania to keep authority to administer that program.

For underground tanks, these 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; and making editorial and technical corrections.  

The proposal would, among other changes, shorten the in-service inspection cycle for aboveground tanks.

The last major update to the program’s regulations was 10 years ago.

There are currently about 7,100 storage tank owners with over 12,600 storage tank facilities in the state.

DEP’s Storage Tank Advisory Committee recommended the changes be presented to the EQB for action.

For copies of the proposed regulation changes and related documents, visit the Environmental Quality Board webpage.  Questions should be directed to Laura Edinger by calling 717-772-3277 or sending email to: ledinger@pa.gov.

[Posted: Oct. 3, 2017]

10/9/2017