WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to prevent releases of hazardous substances into the environment, Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation today announced $525,000 for the Leaking Underground Storage Tanks (LUST) Program.

The federal funds will assists the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in statewide efforts to investigate suspected leaks and releases and perform corrective action to prevent the spread of harmful pollutants, and safeguard our water supplies.

DEM’s Office of Waste Management maintains an inventory of LUST sites and registered underground storage tanks (UST) facilities, which includes information on abandoned, in use, permanently closed, and temporarily closed USTs.

The federal funds, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), may be used to promote programs to prevent and clean up petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks.  DEM utilizes this funding to stop gasoline and other chemicals from fouling groundwater in communities across the state.

Over the years, federal LUST funding has helped prevent countless releases of hazardous materials nationwide.

“This federal funding will help prevent leaking underground storage tanks from contaminating water supplies and threatening the health and safety of Rhode Islanders.  DEM staff does a good job ensuring polluters come into compliance with state and federal standards,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed.  “This federal funding enhances DEM’s ability to identify and prioritize problematic underground tanks so they can be cleaned up to protect public health.  We must ensure that families, communities, and businesses have safe, clean air and drinking water.  This federal investment will help keep that commitment by reducing pollution and preventing it from seeping into our water supply.”

“Leaking underground storage tanks are a hidden hazard,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  “This federal funding will boost the state’s work to keep Rhode Islanders’ drinking water free of dangerous pollutants.”

“Every Rhode Islander deserves clean drinking water, and leaking underground storage tanks are public health hazards that can put families at risk,” said U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner. “This federal funding will support DEM efforts to prevent pollutants from entering our water supply and keep communities safe and healthy.”

DEM may also use the federal funding to assess and cleanup petroleum releases from abandoned storage tanks that are no longer in use and where the owners of the tanks are either unknown or unable to pay for the cleanup. DEM partners with local contractors to clean up the contaminated sites and allow the areas to be reused once any public health concerns are removed.