Underground storage tank release cleanup activities in North Carolina
using funding allocated by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The Underground Storage Tank (UST) Section of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources received a grant from the US EPA on July 17, 2009 for a portion of the $200 million allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for cleanups of leaking underground storage tanks (LUST cleanups) nationwide.  The Section’s grant award of $7,554,000 will be used to conduct assessment and cleanup activities at approximately 172 UST releases located throughout the state.  Rules and guidelines governing the use of federal LUST funds apply to ARRA funds also, so all 172 releases chosen are those for which the parties responsible for the releases are unable or unwilling to conduct cleanups.  The funds will allow the DENR to carry on the cleanup processes at these UST releases that pose risks to public health and the environment, and later seek to recover cleanup expenditures from the parties responsible for releases whenever required and appropriate.  The US EPA grant covers a period of 30 months (beginning on 15 May 2009 and ending on 30 September 2011).  All ARRA funds are expected to be obligated by 30 September 2009.  However, eligible assessment and cleanup activities may continue past the two-year mark if funds remain available.

The NC UST program has awarded contracts worth $6,763,343 to five environmental cleanup companies and contracts worth $594,265 to two laboratory service providers.  The requests for proposals for these contracts were advertised on July 16, 2009 for the laboratory service providers and on July 17, 2009 for the environmental cleanup companies, with bid opening dates of August 19, 2009 and August 21, 2009, respectively.  The advertisements, bidding, and awarding of contracts followed the normal state contracting process.  In addition, the UST program plans to use $196,392 to support two hydrogeologists, hired for a period of two years to over see the assessment and cleanup activities of the cleanup companies, to assist in managing the contracts, to assist in reporting accomplishments, and to monitor the contracted cleanup companies and laboratories for compliance with all ARRA rules and guidelines.

 Information current as of January 5, 2010.

Information on this page will be updated periodically.

Recovery.gov (federal)