Underground storage tank protocols for city-owned and city permitted storage of biodiesel blends.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to underground storage tank protocols for city-owned and city permitted storage of biodiesel blends.

This bill proposed local law amends Chapter 24-177 of the administrative code of the city of New York by adding a new section 24-177.1. The proposed local lawbill prohibits storage of biodiesel blends of greater than twenty percent when underground storage tank components are not compatible with the substance stored. The legislation identifies system parts critical for demonstrating compatibility, requires that owners or operators of underground storage tanks use components that are certified by a nationally recognized independent testing laboratory or use components approved by the manufacturer or another implementing agency determined to be adequately protective of public health and the environment. The proposed local law legislation permits the Fire Department to issue a citywide waiver where biodiesel blends of 20% biodiesel or less are stored in city-owned underground storage tanks. The local law also authorizes the Fire Department to issue a variance where biodiesel blends greater than 20% biodiesel are stored in city-owned underground storage tanks provided that the standards for granting the variance establish that the storage method is adequately protective of public health and the environment. Finally, owners or operators of underground storage tank systems must keep records of leak detection performance claims for a period of at least five years and owners or operators of underground storage tank systems must keep records that document compliance with the compatibility requirement for as long as the underground storage tank is used to store biodiesel blends.