Cleaner Lands
Cleaning Up Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
In FY 2002, EPA awarded $58 million in grants to States for the cleanup of leaking underground storage
tanks. These grants assist States and private entities in the program's effort to clean up approximately
21,000 leaking underground storage tanks each year.
President Bush's FY 2005 budget provides an increase of $26 million (217 percent) over the FY 2004 enacted
level to strengthen EPA's partnership with the states to monitor underground storage tanks. Recognizing that
states have primary responsibility for monitoring tanks, issuing permits and enforcing regulations, the
additional grant money will provide funds for States to inspect a larger universe of federally regulated
underground storage tanks on a more frequent basis as they continue to administer the Underground Storage Tank
Program under delegated authority from EPA.
With the President's signing of the brownfields law, additional funds can now be used to assess and clean-up
brownfield sites with petroleum contamination from underground storage tanks.