Conclusions

The states and EPA cannot ensure that all active tanks have the required leak-, spill-, and overfill-protection equipment installed, nor can they guarantee that the installed equipment is being properly operated and maintained. While the states and EPA regions focus most of their limited resources on monitoring active tanks, empty or inactive tanks require attention to ensure that no soil and groundwater contamination has occurred. Half of the states have not physically inspected all of their tanks and several others have not conducted frequent enough inspections to ensure the tanks’ compliance with program requirements. Moreover, most states and EPA lack authority to use the most effective enforcement tools and many state officials acknowledged that additional enforcement tools and resources were needed to ensure tank compliance. EPA has the opportunity to correct these limitations within its own regions and to help states correct them through its new tank program initiatives. However, the agency has yet to define many of the implementation details, so it is difficult to determine whether the proposed actions will be sufficient to ensure more inspection coverage and more effective enforcement, especially within the states. The Congress has an opportunity to help alleviate the states’ resource shortages by providing additional funding for inspections and enforcement or more flexibility to use existing funds to improve these activities.
What GAO Found

The states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot ensure that all active underground storage tanks have the required leak-, spill-, and overfill-protection equipment installed, nor can they guarantee that the installed equipment is being properly operated and maintained. Although the states and EPA regions focus most of their limited resources on monitoring active tanks, empty or inactive tanks can also potentially contaminate soil and groundwater. Half of the states have not physically inspected all of their tanks, and several others have not done inspections often enough to ensure the tanks' safety. Moreover, most states and EPA lack authority to use the most effective enforcement tools, and many state officials acknowledge that additional enforcement tools and resources were needed to ensure tank safety. EPA has the opportunity to correct these limitations within its own regions and to help states correct them through its new tank program initiatives. However, the agency has yet to define many of the implementation details, so it is difficult to determine whether the proposed actions will ensure more inspection coverage and more effective enforcement, especially within the states. Congress could help alleviate the states' resource shortages by providing additional funding for inspections and enforcement or greater flexibility to use existing funds to improve these activities.