August 19, 2009

Governor Markell Announces $1.2 Million in Stimulus Funding to Clean Up Petroleum Releases from Underground Storage Tanks

DOVER – Gov. Jack Markell announced today that the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will receive $1.23 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to assess and clean up releases of petroleum from underground storage tanks through a cooperative agreement grant with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Delaware is currently working on cleaning up more than 200 petroleum release sites where a leak from an underground storage tank has occurred. Since 1985, DNREC’s Tank Management Branch has addressed more than 3300 leaking underground storage sites.

“This funding will not only allow us to clean up old petroleum release sites and make them marketable again for redevelopment purposes, it will provide economic and environmental benefits to the citizens of Delaware by maximizing job creation and retention and protecting drinking water sources,” said Gov. Markell.

Leaking underground storage tanks are a serious environmental concern because petroleum contains hazardous substances such as benzene, a known carcinogen which, when released from an underground storage tank, can seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater.  In Delaware, more than 70 percent of the state relies on groundwater as a source of drinking water.

“Protecting Delaware’s essential groundwater resources that so many residents depend upon for drinking water requires that we effectively mitigate leaking underground storage sites,” said Sec. O’Mara. “This Federal stimulus funding will get people back to work and simultaneously help the environment, allowing the State to perform corrective action at sites much sooner than we would have otherwise.”

Nationally, EPA is distributing $197 million in ARRA funding to states and tribes for underground storage tank investigation and remediation.  DNREC is limited to spending these funds at sites where an owner or operator of the tank system cannot be identified or is unable or unwilling to perform the necessary clean-up work. DNREC is also required to attempt to recover any stimulus funds that are spent from viable responsible parties who may have caused or contributed to the release or operated or owned the tank system.

The funding cannot be used to address releases from non-federally regulated tank systems, such as heating oil tanks. DNREC has identified 23 sites where the stimulus funding can be utilized.

For more information, visit the Delaware recovery website at http://recovery.delaware.gov/