LUST and the Pioneering TCEQ-Approved UST Training
LUST is dangerous. LUST is unhealthy. And LUST is everywhere. LUST, or leaking underground storage tank, was a problem in the making for nearly half a century. The end of World War II kick-started an unprecedented boom in automobile manufacturing, which turned out to be the industrial trigger for the proliferation of gas stations all over the American landscape. That, unfortunately, also saw the universal use by the gas stations of underground storage tanks (USTs), nearly all made of steel. Over 50 years hence—and about a decade past the life expectancy of steel—the USTs are corroded and leaking. And suddenly, the environment, the groundwater, and the health and safety of Americans are all under threat. Today, more than 590,000 USTs are in danger of leaking dangerous quantities of petroleum products because rust or improper maintenance has compromised the tanks. (The number is actually down from about a million a few years ago, before the United States Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] forced half to be decommissioned.)
In response to the crisis, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has mandated UST operators and owners in the state to undergo approved underground storage tank operator training, effective September 1, 2012. The pioneering TCEQ-approved online UST training—known formally as the TPCA Class A and Class B UST Facility Operator Training Course—was developed by 360training.com, a leading e-learning provider, in collaboration with Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association and TAIT Environmental. The course took three organizations to put together because of the training’s critical mission: To reduce the danger of accidental releases of toxic petroleum products from the state’s many underground storage tanks (USTs), which likely would poison not just the environment but also the groundwater from which Texas gets much of its water. The TPCA Class A and Class B UST Operator Training Course provides training for the safe operation and proper maintenance of USTs as required by Texas and EPA regulations. It is designed to teach operators to detect and prevent tank releases into the environment. The course also educates the student on all the state and federal regulations relevant to the safe operation of USTs. By providing the training, 360training.com and its coursework collaborators hope to contain the danger of LUST and eliminate it in time. To address the multifaceted nature of UST operation and maintenance, the course covers ten important topics: release detection, initial release response, abatement, and NAPL removal, spill/overfill protection, corrosion protection, installation and technical standards for USTs, investigation and confirmation steps, TCEQ corrective action, waste management, and soil and groundwater cleanup, and financial assurance. 360training.com said that the coursework requires the student to pass the check-up quiz at the end of each of the eight lessons to progress to the next. Upon passing the final exam, the student receives a UST operator certification to operate and maintain USTs in Texas. 360training.com announced that the certification is valid for three and a half years if the course is taken now. Learn2serve.com, a portal of 360training.com, provides access to the TPCA Class A and Class B UST Facility Operator Training Course.