A one-time
charge of $211,000 was assessed to PSTIF to help pay for costs of
operating the offices of the State Auditor, State Treasurer, Department
of Revenue and Office of Administration for FY02.
Rules
Governing AST Cleanups
New
DNR regulations explaining what must be done when a petroleum release
from an aboveground tank occurs went into effect on May 1, 2002. A
copy is available at www.pstif.org/regulations.html, or by calling (573) 751-6822.
And
New PSTIF Rules
Two
important changes in PSTIF procedures also went into effect on May
1. One imposes a deadline for submitting invoices: two years after
corrective action is complete and a "No Further Action" letter is
issued by the DNR.
The other
allows AST owners to keep their pollution liability insurance coverage
for up to five years after ASTs are taken out of use. This change
creates more parity between UST owners and AST owners.
These
regulations are available at www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/
current/
10csr/10c20-15.pdf, under 10 CSR 100.
"Tail
Coverage"
AST owners
who were previously insured, but who lost coverage because their tanks
were taken out of use, can now purchase an "Extended Reporting Period"
which allows them to file a claim for a release that occurred while
the tanks were previously in operation and insured. Letters are being
sent to such persons, notifying them of this opportunity.
Anyone
with questions should call Dorcee Lauen at 800-765-4041.
Checking
AST Bottoms
Emptying
the tank, then paying for a crane and operator to lift that aboveground
tank so the bottom can be checked and repaired or strengthened as
needed seems like a big job. But is it really?
Some
tank owners are finding out preventive maintenance is far less expensive
than waiting for a problem to happen. We expect to pay for maintenance
on nearly every other piece of equipment we own - Why not tanks? Remember:
Once fuel shows up in the ground, not only do you incur the cost of
lifting and repairing the tank, but you have cleanup costs to pay
also, not to mention the headaches that go with an environmental problem.
Compared
to the cost of new electronic leak detection systems, a one-day rental
cost for a crane is cheap. And a good contractor can check and repair
three tank bottoms in a day. The PSTIF encourages regular preventive
maintenance on all tank systems it insures, and encourages AST owners
to conduct periodic checks of their tank bottoms.
Nearly
100%…
Combined
efforts by PSTIF, DNR and the Department of Agriculture are bearing
fruit. Last summer, nearly 400 sites were identified where USTs were
in use, but were not insured by PSTIF and the owner had not demonstrated
to DNR that he had another type of "financial responsibility" mechanism.
Letters, visits, phone calls and data updates by our crackerjack team
has reduced that list to a mere 173. PSTIF is sending another letter
to those owners, inviting them to become Fund participants.
Those
folks had better wake up….. Their next contact may look less like
an invitation and more like a regulatory enforcement action!
In
Case You Were Curious…
In the
nine years since PSTIF received its first claim, invoices totaling
$112,746,686 have been received and processed. Of that amount, $13,185,471
was recognized as eligible cleanup cost and credited to the owner's
deductible, $22,745,810 was disallowed as ineligible or excess costs,
and $76,815,405 was paid to Fund participants and beneficiaries.
Meet
Your Trustees
A native
and lifelong resident of Kansas City, Bob Jackson brings the same
enthusiasm to his responsibilities as a PSTIF Trustee as he does to
a host of other boards and committees on which he serves. Currently
employed as the Weatherization Program Administrator for the City,
Bob maintains a keen interest in utility restructuring. In addition
to serving as one of two members of the general public on the PSTIF
Board, Bob participates in several task forces and forums on utility
issues.
His
entire career has been spent in positions related to financial management
and development. In addition, his experience supervising contracts
and grants and his familiarity with people and places throughout Missouri
make him a valuable asset to the PSTIF. Like some others, he has served
as a PSTIF Trustee since the inception of the program five years ago,
and his energy level has never waned! Thanks, Bob, for all you do!
New
Claim Form
PSTIF's
claim form was revised in December 2001. The new version is available
on our web site or by calling 800-765-2765.
As of
May 1, the old form is no longer being accepted. Consultants, please
throw away your supply of the old form and replace it with the new
one. Thanks!
Where
is the LLD?
Experience
has shown that some mechanical line leak detectors (LLDs) on UST systems
are installed too far from the submersible pump. This leaves the length
of piping between the pump and the LLD unmonitored.
At least
one instance has been reported where a leak developed in the 6-foot
section of piping "upstream" from the LLD. Nearly an entire tank of
diesel fuel was pumped out through the hole in the piping, and the
LLD could not detect the leak.
Be sure
your maintenance staff and contractors know to install the mechanical
line leak detectors as close to the submersible pump as possible,
to minimize this risk. Check the manufacturers' installation manuals;
they generally recommend this.
Web
Help
Don't
forget… Our web site, www.pstif.org, contains a lot of helpful information,
including the list of known tank sites, as of June 2000. Use it early
and use it often!
Latest
Leaks is a newsletter of the Missouri Petroleum Storage Tank
Insurance Fund.
Board
of Trustees
William
"Bart" Creech III, Chairman
Bob Abernathy, Vice Chairman
Judith W. Baker
Gary D. Collins
James P. Ford
Neal A. Gibbons, Sr.
Ron Hooker
Robert "Bob" Jackson
Donald W. McNutt
Joyce Murphy
Dan Schuette
Executive
Director
Carol R. Eighmey
PO Box 836
Jefferson City, MO 65102
573-522-2352
Third
Party Administrator
Williams & Company Consulting, Inc.
1-800-765-2765
Send
address changes to:
PSTIF, PO Box 104116
Jefferson City, MO 65110
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