This page contains the latest news and developments for the PST
Program. When new information is added to this page, an
announcement is usually also made to all PST
Program listserv subscribers.
The commission will hold a stakeholders meeting on this
proposal in Austin on December 11, 2008 from 2:00
to 4:00 p.m. in Bldg E, Room 201S,
at the commission's central office located at 12100 Park 35
Circle. The meeting is intended to facilitate discussion on the
proposed rules. Oral comments will not be recorded.
Additionally, the commission will hold a public hearing on
this proposal in Austin on December 16, 2008 at
10:00 a.m. in Room 201S, Building E, at the commission's central
office located at 12100 Park 35 Circle. The hearing will be
structured for the receipt of oral or written comments.
September 19, 2008:
Hurricane Ike's Effect on Laboratory Samples
Due to the September 2008 preparation, evacuation, and/or
recovery activities associated with the Hurricane Ike event along
the Texas coast in the Galveston/Houston area, environmental
laboratories in that area impacted by the hurricanes movements may
report holding time and temperature preservation issues for samples
collected Friday, September 5, 2008 through Thursday, September 11,
2008. These activities may include a) the mandatory and/or
voluntary evacuation of the laboratories in advance of the
hurricanes anticipated and/or actual landfall, b) the couriers,
responsible for delivering the samples to the laboratory, not
entering the area by land or by air until after the hurricane
conditions had subsided, and c) the laboratorys recovery and return
to routine operating conditions following the hurricane event.
The agency has developed guidelines
with information regarding the evaluation of sample data and
reimbursement issues when sample delivery and/or analysis was
impacted by the hurricane event.
December 10, 2007:
Revised Incident Report (IR) Form
In order to collect more information regarding the source and
cause of confirmed releases from underground storage tank systems,
the TCEQ has modified the Incident Report (IR) Form (TCEQ-20097).
All suspected and confirmed releases identified on or after
December 10, 2007 should be reported to the TCEQ using the December 2007 version of the IR Form.
December 6, 2007:
Information on Implementation of the Risk-Based Corrective Action
Provision of HB 3554
The agency has determined that it already meets the risk-based
corrective action legislative requirements of House Bill 3554.
Therefore, all LPST releases reported through August 31, 2003
continue to be subject to all parts of 30 TAC 334 (the PST rules),
and all releases reported on or after September 1, 2003 must meet
the assessment, response actions, and post-response action care
requirements of 30 TAC 350 (the Texas Risk Reduction Program (TRRP)
rules). Responsible parties should ensure that their sites progress
in a timely manner toward closure under the appropriate set of
rules.
June 18, 2007:
PST Reimbursement Program Phase-out Update
House Bill (HB) 3554 was passed in the Texas legislature and has
been signed by the governer. This bill will affect the sunset of
the Petroleum Storage Tank reimbursement program and the transition
of eligible leaking petroleum storage tank sites into State Lead.
Check this web page for updates, or subscribe to the PST Program listserv to receive updates by
e-mail.
February 20, 2007:
Request for Qualifications (RFQs) for PST Engineering Services
We are requesting qualification statements (RFQs) from
engineering firms interested in doing environmental cleanup work at
leaking petroleum storage tank sites. The deadline for submitting
Statements of Qualifications is 3:00 p.m. CST, March 16, 2007. For
more information, including instructions on how to obtain the
entire RFQ, see the complete announcement of this request for
qualifications.
December 5, 2006:
LPST Site Survey
We are seeking input from responsible parties (RPs) of leaking
petroleum storage tank (LPST) sites deemed eligible for the 2005 Petroleum Storage
Tank Remediation (PSTR) Fund reimbursement program extension.
To this end, on December 4, 2006, we mailed a one-page
survey to approximately 1750 RPs asking if those RPs anticipate
completing corrective actions at their reimbursement-eligible LPST
sites by August 30, 2007, and, if not, whether they will be opting
in to the State-Lead
Program. We will tally the survey results and use them for
resource allocation and planning.
If you are the RP of a reimbursement-eligible LPST site and did
not receive the “official” mailout (or lost it), print
a blank
survey, complete it, and submit it to us by December 29, 2006,
by fax or mail. (Please submit one survey for each
reimbursement-eligible LPST site.) This survey:
- is not binding, and
- is different from the application form required by statute to
formally request transfer into State Lead. (That form will be
available no later than April 1, 2007.)
October 9, 2005:
Drinking Water Survey Report
Texas Water Code §26.408 requires the TCEQ to notify owners
of water wells that may be affected by groundwater contamination.
To comply with this statute, guidance on submitting a
Drinking Water Survey Report is now available to assist you in
conducting the drinking water survey when necessary.
September 1, 2005:
Reimbursement Deadline Extended for Certain LPST Sites
As of September 1, 2005, the PSTR Fund has been
extended—for certain LPST sites—for processing
reimbursement claims beyond the previous deadline date of
August 31, 2006. See the criteria that must be
met for LPST sites to retain eligibility.
August 24, 2004:
Important Note for Geoscientists
The Remediation Division (including PST Responsible Party
Remediation) will be checking for Professional Geoscientist’s
seals on reports submitted to the agency, beginning September 1,
2004. Unsealed geoscience reports
received after October 1, 2004, will be returned to the submitting
party. Refer to this regulatory
notice for more information.
For information on what constitutes geoscience and the
requirements for geoscientist licensing, please refer to the Board of Professional
Geoscientists’ web page.
Note:
- Registered corrective action specialists and project managers
(RCAS/CAPMs) are still required for work on LPST sites (see IOM
on this topic).
- Geoscientist requirements are separate from (and in the case of
LPST sites, in addition to) RCAS/CAPM requirements.
Get E-Mail Alerts of PST
Program Updates!
Join the PST Program E-Mail Update Alert list and receive an
e-mail notice each time there are new policy developments, new
guidance is issued, or there are announcements, notices or updates
posted on the PST web site.
To join the alert list:
- Send an e-mail to join-pst-program@listserv.tceq.state.tx.us.
Type "Join PST-RPR" in the subject line and type
your name in the body/message part.
- Reply to the automated e-mail asking for
confirmation of your request (no reply text necessary—if you
do type something in, it cannot be read and will not receive a
response). You will then receive a message confirming you have been
signed up to the list.
- If you have questions, or have other names and e-mail addresses
you want to add to the alert list, send them to pstrpr@tceq.state.tx.us.
Please note that you cannot send a regular e-mail to the
alert list e-mail address shown in step 1 above.
Look for our e-mail notices when we make changes to this web
page or have news about the PST Program.
