EPA gives Vt. $1 million in stimulus money for underground tanks

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(Host) Pollution from underground petroleum storage tanks continues to be a problem around Vermont.

But more of the state says more of the contamination will probably be cleaned up soon because of new money from the federal government.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $1 million to Vermont’s Environmental Conservation Department.

Richard Spiese works on cleanup projects for the state. He says the federal money will allow the state to expand its cleanup plans.

(Spiese) "We’ve identified 30 to 40 facilities at this point where there were tanks that were identified that haven’t been addressed or there are still tanks. And those sites need to be characterized to see what risks they pose. So, our program will be going out through private contractors to do that work, to assess those sites, and move them where appropriate towards corrective action."

(Host) Most of the underground storage tanks are at gasoline stations. Some of them are still in business but some are not. Spiese says there are as many as 1,700 underground tanks around th state and about 600 of them need to be investigated.

Some of those tanks also are home heating oil tanks.

When the tanks fail, they can leak liquid petroleum into groundwater or surrounding soils. Vapors and fumes also can escape into neighboring homes and businesses.

The EPA money comes from the federal stimulus package. A lot it will be used to explore various sites to find out what problems they might pose and then to develop cleanup plans.

The state’s petroleum cleanup fund pays up to one million dollars to help remove petroleum if the property owner does not have sufficient insurance.

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