Regulation of USTs began on November 8, 1984 when President Reagan signed into law the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), adding a new Subtitle I to the federal hazardous waste statute. RCRA defines an UST as "any one or combination of tanks (including underground pipes connected thereto) which is used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances, and the volume of which (including the volume of the underground pipes connected thereto) is 10 per centum or more beneath the surface of the ground." However, there are several exemptions from the definition of UST, including, farm or residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity which are used to store motor fuel for noncommercial purposes, heating oil tanks, and storage tanks situated in an underground area such as a basement or cellar. RCRA requires notification to the state or local governing agency of the existence of all USTs. The amendments also direct the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a comprehensive regulatory program to prevent, correct and detect releases from USTs. Click here to jump to the Federal UST Regulations which EPA promulgated under section 6991b of RCRA. In addition, RCRA allows individual states to develop their own UST regulatory programs for review and approval by EPA. Click here to return to the main menu for a listing of the state UST laws and regulations that are included as links from this site.

The following sections of RCRA are accessible via a link to the website maintained by the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University. The Legal Information Institute's website contains the full text of the United State Code, including the full text of Subtitle I of RCRA, as published on CD-ROM and distributed via the United States Government Printing Office. You can scroll through the entire subchapter or skip to a particular section.

We have found the Legal Information Institute's website to be more user friendly than the website maintained by the United States Government Printing Office. However, you can access the United States Government Printing Office website and search the official version of the United States Code by clicking here.

If it is history you are interested in, check the Perkins Law Group UST Regulatory Timeline published by Petroleum Publishing Group Inc., by clicking here.

• 6991- Definitions and Exemptions
• 6991a - Notification

  (a) Underground storage tanks
  (b) Agency designation
  (c) State inventories

• 6991b - Release Detection, Prevention, and Corrective Regulations

  (a) Regulations
  (b) Distinctions in regulations
  (c) Requirements
  (d) Financial responsibility
  (e) New tank performance standards
  (f) Effective dates
  (g) Interim prohibition
  (h) EPA response program for petroleum

• 6991c - Approval of State Programs

  (a) Elements of State program
  (b) Federal standards
  (c) Financial responsibility
  (d) EPA determination
  (e) Withdrawal of authorization

• 6991d - Inspections, Monitoring, Testing, and Corrective Action

  (a) Furnishing information
  (b) Confidentiality

• 6991e - Federal Enforcement

  (a) Compliance orders
  (b) Procedure
  (c) Contents of order
  (d) Civil penalties

• 6991f - Federal Facilities

  (a) Application of subchapter
  (b) Presidential exemption

• 6991g - State Authority
• 6991h - Study of Underground Storage Tanks

  (a) Petroleum tanks
  (b) Other tanks
  (c) Elements of studies
  (d) Farm and heating oil tanks
  (e) Reports
  (f) Reimbursement

• 6991i - Authorization of Appropriations