DEC extends gas station tank inspection deadline

Petroleum News Alaska

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said Sept. 24 that it has extended this year's deadline for gas stations owners to complete their required tank inspections.

Normally, approximately 400 underground storage tanks in Alaska must be inspected and tagged by Oct. 31, DEC said. Tanks without a tag cannot receive fuel after that date.

DEC said the deadline is being extended to Nov. 30 because of the impact of flight grounding following the terrorist attacks Sept. 11.

“In Alaska, we have felt the ripple effects of the Sept. 11 attacks on our normal shipping and traveling network,” said Steve Bainbridge, head of DEC's contaminated sites program, which oversees the inspections. “Alaskans have a hard enough time getting personnel and equipment around the state without the added complication of flight restrictions. Another 30 days should help those who would otherwise have completed their inspections.”

The inspection program is a new requirement developed by DEC last year, “to help underground tank operators discover small problems before they turn into big ones,” said Bainbridge. DEC began requiring mandatory inspections after discovering that leak prevention equipment around the state was either not working or not being operated properly. Since the program started, more than 900 different equipment and operational problems have been discovered and voluntarily corrected at over half of Alaska's gas stations.