First Online TCEQ-Approved UST A/B Operator Training

Posted: Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Category: Environmental, Industrial Skills

There are over 590,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) storing petroleum or other potentially hazardous substances in the United States today. Most of these are owned by gas stations and various industries, but some are maintained by commercial properties and government entities. Each one, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a serious environmental and health threat because it could leak its contents into the groundwater if improperly maintained. About half of the United States sources its drinking water from groundwater.

Recognizing the danger and following the lead of the EPA, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has now required UST owners and operators in the state to undergo approved UST operator training. The requirement takes effect on September 1, 2012.

360training.com, a leading U.S. e-learning hub and a supporter of public health and the environment, has partnered with Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association and TAIT Environmental to introduce the first TCEQ-approved online underground storage tank training.

The course is designed to teach the course taker how to detect and prevent UST leaks through proper operation and maintenance as recommended by state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, and also how to train Class C employees in these regulations. In addition, the course introduces the student to all the state and federal regulations relevant to the safe operation of USTs.

The UST Operating Training course is completely online, as is the final exam, which requires a 70-percent score to pass. The course covers ten topics (including release detection, initial release response and abatement, and NAPL removal, spill/overfill protection, corrosion protection, and installation and technical standards for USTs) in eight lessons. The student must pass the quiz at the end of each lesson to progress to the next. Each quiz requires a passing grade of 70 percent.

To address EPA proposed revisions to strengthen the 1988 federal UST regulations, the following topics have also been made part of the course: investigation and confirmation steps, TCEQ corrective action, waste management, and soil and groundwater cleanup, and financial assurance.

On completion of the training the course taker receives a UST operator certification to operate and maintain USTs in the state. 360training.com says that if the course is taken now, the certification will be valid for three and a half years.

The complete underground storage tank training course is available at Learn2serve.com, one of the 360training.com’s portals.