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Ohio Issues Underground Storage Tank Cleanup and Assessment Request for Proposals as Part of ARRA

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR) announced today that it is seeking highly experienced companies to perform environmental assessments and remediation of petroleum releases from regulated underground storage tanks located throughout Ohio. On behalf of the Ohio Department of Commerce, the Ohio Department of Administrative Services is requesting proposals for underground storage tank cleanup and assessment as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA.) Ohio has received $8,080,000 for assessment and remediation that will address petroleum releases from underground storage tanks in all eight regions of the state

“This is the first mass-scale cleanup initiative of its kind in our state’s history,” said Kimberly A. Zurz, Department of Commerce Director. “The cleanup of leaking underground storage tanks is vital to the health and prosperity of Ohio and will help improve local communities. Providing a cleaner, safer environment for citizens and businesses helps fuel economic revival and promote growth opportunities across the state.”

Ohio’s program is part of a larger ARRA initiative, as the U.S. Congress appropriated $210 million earlier this year to the U.S. EPA for cleaning up petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks. The U.S. EPA has specified that state and territorial underground storage programs can use the funding to oversee the clean up of underground tank releases or directly pay for cleaning up releases from regulated tanks where the responsible party is unknown, unwilling or unable, or where the cleanup is an emergency response.
 

Applicable sites for the ARRA program must have been contaminated due to a release of petroleum from an underground storage tank. In addition, BUSTR must have established that viable responsible parties no longer exist to perform the regulatory required investigation and clean up of the contamination. Regional sites selected through the RFP process will be examined under the guidance of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA.)

Contractors who wish to be considered for environmental assessment and remediation work in Ohio are required to complete and submit a request for proposal. The detailed scope of work and request for proposal can be reviewed and downloaded at www.procure.ohio.gov/proc/viewProcOpps.asp?oppID=7394&disclaimer=N.

Article Resource: What’s New - State of Ohio American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - December 4, 2009