Rhode Island receives $525K to prevent leaking underground chemical tanks

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Members of Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation said Friday that the state had secured $525,000 for the Leaking Underground Storage Tanks Program.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the federal funds may be used to promote programs to prevent and clean up petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks.

Lawmakers said that the funds will assist the state Department of Environmental Management in statewide efforts to investigate potential leaks and perform cleanup to protect state water supplies.

“This federal funding enhances DEM’s ability to identify and prioritize problematic underground tanks so they can be cleaned up to protect public health,” Sen. Jack Reed said.

The DEM said it can also use the funds to  assess and cleanup petroleum releases from abandoned storage tanks that are no longer in use and where the owners of the tanks are either unknown or unable to pay for the cleanup.

“Every Rhode Islander deserves clean drinking water, and leaking underground storage tanks are public health hazards that can put families at risk,” Rep. Seth Magaziner said.

The DEM maintains a list of registered underground storage tanks which includes information on abandoned, in use, permanently closed, and temporarily closed sites.