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Regulations for Oil Tanks

Homeowners and business owners can both own and install oil tanks and oil storage tanks, but there are regulations that must be followed. Disobeying the federal and state regulations could harm the environment and cause road accidents.

  1. Oil Tanks

    • An oil tanker, or petroleum tanker, is designed to hold and transport oil, or petroleum products. Oil tanks are also used to store the oil, until it has been properly distributed and transported, or is used on site. Tanks can be large or small, and are classified according to their size.

    Registration

    • Any business or homeowner who has an underground oil storage tank installed, or actually installs the tank themselves, must first register with the city commissioner. There is always a fee for registering an oil tank. In Maine the cost is $100, but the amount varies in each state. You must register each tank before it is installed. Regulations include that the size of the tank be reported, for safety reasons, and that all oil tanks must undergo and pass an annual inspection. Any deficiencies that may be discovered must be fixed properly, and promptly.

    Oil Pollution Act

    • In 1990, the Oil Pollution Act was established in reaction to an oil tanker crash. The act provided cleanup and federal funding regulations. It established penalties for those who improperly operate machinery using, or hooked up to, oil tanks. This act requires oil tanker operators and facilities that use tanks to put plans into place in case a crash or oil spill occurs. The plans must detail the training that will be administered to those people who will handle the equipment, and how the equipment will be tested effectively. In addition, the act now requires that these plans be preapproved by federal and/or state government officials before these businesses receive operating licenses.

    Abandoning Oil Tankers

    • It is illegal to abandon an oil tank (or tanker) in most states, an important regulation guided by safety concerns. That flammable liquids left at a site can be a fire hazard is obvious, but leaving an underground oil tank or storage tank unattended or abandoned can cause accidents from the road or property collapsing or caving in as well. Once that happens, the danger of environmental contamination grows. Abandoning an oil tank can be punished by a court of law on both the federal and state level. However, some criteria allow you to legally abandon your oil tank. The criteria include that you have had tests done that show the tank has not leaked and is not in danger of collapsing. You may also receive a waiver if the cost of removing the oil tank and filling in the hole would be excessive.

    Reporting Oil Leaks and Contamination

    • The law requires that all oil leaks be reported when noticed. Oil leaks detected in any fuel storage tank, regardless of whether it's indoor, outdoor, buried or above ground, must be reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation within two hours when you first detect the leak. Also, if soil or ground contamination is found when performing an oil tank excavation, that contamination must be reported immediately.

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