Alabama UST Operator Training

UST Operator Certification Procedures

Class A/B Operator Training
PASS' Class A/B Operator Training in Alabama is approved by ADEM.
Class C Operator Training

PASS' Class C Operator Training in Alabama is approved by ADEM.

All of PASS’ UST operator training courses meet and exceed the federal requirements for UST operator training and are offered through our in-house designed and built Learning Management System (LMS). PASS’ state-specific training courses are custom tailored to meet state requirements, and are accepted by more states than any other training provider. Our courses are available on demand, 24/7 and are accessible from any internet-connected computer, tablet, or phone. The student can complete an entire course in a single session or take the course in segments. The training may be stopped and restarted, allowing for maximum schedule flexibility. PASS also does not impose time restrictions on course access, so students may take as much time as they need to complete their training. Once training is completed a certificate is available to save and print.

Registration & Fees

Owners/operators of USTs must register their tanks with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) by completing and submitting a Notification for Underground Storage Tanks form.

Owners/operators must also pay a yearly Underground Storage Tank Regulation Fee of not less than $15.00 and not more than $30.00 per tank per year. The amount of the fee will be determined annually by the director. Payment will be due within 30 days of notification to the owner/operator of the amount of the fee.

Release Reporting

Owners/operators must report suspected releases to ADEM immediately upon discovery but no later than 24 hours after discovery and confirmed releases within 24 hours of discovery. Spills and releases must be reported during normal business hours to the nearest ADEM Field Office or outside normal business hours to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency State Warning Point (800-843-0699). ADEM Field Offices and their telephone numbers are listed below.

ADEM Montgomery Branch Field Office

334-260-2700

ADEM Birmingham Branch Field Office

205-942-6168

ADEM Decatur Branch Field Office

256-353-1713

ADEM Mobile Field Office
251-450-3400

Coastal Section Office
251-304-1176

ADEM Central Office
334-271-7700

Release Detection

The following are allowable methods of release detection in Alabama.

Automatic Tank Gauge (ATG)
Secondary containment with interstitial monitoring
Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR)
Manual tank gauging
Vapor monitoring
Groundwater monitoring
Tank tightness testing
Inventory control

Release Prevention

All new dispenser systems (those installed at a location where there was previously no dispenser and those replacing an existing dispenser where the equipment used to connect the dispenser to the UST system is replaced at any point below the fire valve or where the island must be modified) must have under-dispenser containment (UDC).
Impressed current cathodic protection systems must be tested by a certified cathodic protection tester within one month after installation or repair of any portion of the UST system and every three years thereafter. Within 30 days of completing the test, Form 332 or Form 545 must be completed and submitted to ADEM. Owners/operators must retain records of these tests for three years after the testing date.

Financial Responsibility

Alabama follows the federal financial responsibility coverage amounts found in 40 CFR §280.93 (scroll to page 77 of 119 in the pdf document) and ADEM Admin. Code 335-6-15-.43 (scroll to page 78 of 92). Owners/operators may use any of the following financial responsibility mechanisms.

Financial test of self-insurance
Guarantee
Insurance and risk retention group coverage
Certificate of deposit
Surety bond
Letter of credit
State fund
Trust fund

The Alabama Underground and Aboveground Storage Tank Trust Fund is a fund to reimburse eligible tank owners/operators for costs associated with the assessment and remediation of eligible releases from petroleum storage tanks. The Trust Fund may be used to satisfy the financial responsibility requirement.
In order to partipcate in the Tank Trust Fund, an owner/operator must:

Register all tanks with ADEM;
Pay the annual Trust Fund and Underground Storage Tank Regulatory Fee for each tank;
Remain in substantial compliance with all regulations and requirements; and
Maintain financial responsibility in the amount of $5,000 per occurrence/$25,000 aggregate.

Owners/operators are notified of eligibility after the proper reporting of a release. Complete information on the Tank Trust Fund is found under the trust fund tab of the ADEM website.

Delivery Prohibition/Non-Compliance Enforcement

If an ADEM inspector determines that a UST or UST system is out of compliance with state or federal UST regulations, the inspector will initiate enforcement procedures.
Prior to placing a UST under delivery prohibition, ADEM will make a reasonable effort to notify the owner/operator in writing of the compliance violations at the facility and provide a time frame in which to correct those violations. If the violations have not been corrected within the specified time frame, ADEM will add the facility to its online Delivery Prohibition List and affix a red tag to the fill pipes at the facility.

Temporary & Permanent Closure

Permanent Closure
At least 30 days prior to permanently closing a UST, the owner/operator must notify ADEM of the intent to close the UST.

Recordkeeping

All performance claims pertaining to any release detection system and the manner in which these claims have been justified or tested by the equipment manufacturer or installer must be maintained for five years.
The results of any sampling, testing, or monitoring must be maintained for at least one year.
Written documentation of all calibration, maintenance, and repair of release detection equipment permanently located on site must be maintained for at least one year after the servicing work is completed.
All schedules of required calibration and maintenance provided by the release detection equipment manufacturer must be retained for five years from the date of installation.
Owners/operators must maintain records that are capable of demonstrating compliance with closure or change in service requirements for three years from the date of closure or change in service.