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Questions or Comments: pstrpr@tceq.texas.gov

About the PST Responsible Party Lead Program

Information on the mission and legal authority of the leaking petroleum storage tank program.

The Remediation Division oversees the assessment and cleanup of leaking petroleum storage tanks (LPSTs), which include sites that are handled by the responsible party (RP) and by the state (State-Lead). The program's mission is to supervise the cleanup of spills from regulated storage tanks by recording and evaluating all reported incidents of releases of petroleum and other hazardous substances from underground and above-ground storage tanks. The goal is to assure that the public is not exposed to hazardous levels of contamination by requiring the removal of the contamination to levels protective of human health and the environment.

The owner or operator of a regulated storage tank is required to notify the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) within 24 hours of any discharge or spill that causes or could cause pollution to the waters of the State of Texas. Notification may be by:

Emergency situations at Petroleum Storage Tank sites after normal business hours or on weekends should be reported to the TCEQ State-Lead Emergency Response staff at 512-656-9320.

To ensure that a release incident has been abated, and that the contamination resulting from the release incident is properly assessed and remediated, the Remediation Division monitors all reported incidents, from initial environmental assessments, through corrective action plans and requests for closure.

Legal Authority

The EPA has delegated regulatory authority to the state of Texas to oversee releases from regulated storage tanks within the state. The statute creating and governing the Texas PST Program is the Texas Water Code, Chapter 26, Subchapter I. The regulations governing the program are included in 30 Texas Administrative Code §334 .

House Bill 1588 created the petroleum storage tank remediation (PSTR) fund, which is the primary funding source for the Texas State-Lead Program.

Related Items

PST Forms and Guidance