Louisiana UST Operator Training

UST Operator Certification Procedures

Class A/B Operator Training

In order to earn an A/B operator certification in Louisiana, the operator must register for and attend a UST operator training course offered through Petro Classroom. Classes, which usually run from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, are offered throughout the year in various locations across the state. To see the current course schedule and to register, visit the Petro Classroom website.

Class C Operator Training

Class A/B operators are responsible for training and certifying their Class C operators. PASS’ Class C operator training meets state and federal operator training requirements, and may be used by Class A/B operators to train their C operators. Class A/B operators will still need to submit each C operator’s training information to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to obtain certification.

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 all USTs must register their USTs with the LDEQ by submitting a completed Underground Storage Tank Registration form. Upon receipt of the registration form, the LDEQ will send each owner/operator an invoice for all applicable fees, including the annual registration fee of $45 per tank. Annually thereafter, each owner/operator will receive an itemized invoice(s) for all applicable fees for the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). Upon payment of all required fees, the LDEQ will issue a Certificate of Registration for each facility, which must be prominently posted at the facility.

Release Reporting

Louisiana utilizes a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for reporting spills and releases. Owners/operators must report any suspected or confirmed releases within 24 hours in one of the following ways.

Verbal notification can be made by calling the DEQ Hotline at (225) 342-1234. The DEQ-SPOC phone line is staffed during working hours (M-F 8:00 am-4:30 pm). The DEQ-SPOC office line is (225) 219-3640. If calls are made after hours, leave a voice mail.
Another option for reporting is the Online Incident Reporting system. The onscreen user will receive a summary of the notification along with a confirmation tracking number which can be printed for a record of the notification.
A direct e-mail may be used to contact the DEQ at spoc@LA.GOV. (This option does not produce a confirmation.)

Release Detection

UST owners/operators in Louisiana may use any of the following methods of release detection:

Manual tank gauging;
Inventory control;
Automatic tank gauging (ATG);
Groundwater monitoring;
Vapor monitoring;
Interstitial monitoring;
Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR); or
Tank tightness testing.

Financial Responsibility

Louisiana follows the federal financial responsibility coverage amounts found in 40 CFR §280.93 (scroll to page 77 of 119 in the pdf document). Owners/operators may use any of the following mechanisms to demonstrate financial responsibility.

Financial test of self-insurance
Guarantee
Insurance and risk retention group coverage
Surety bond
Letter of credit
Trust fund
Stand-by trust fund
Use of the Motor Fuels Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund (MFUSTTF)

Inspection & Testing Requirements

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) will inspect all USTs at least once every three years.

Delivery Prohibition/Non-Compliance Enforcement

If an LDEQ inspector determines that a UST or UST system is out of compliance with UST regulations, he or she may initiate non-compliance enforcement procedures. LDEQ immediately red tags underground storage tanks that:

Are not registered;
That do not have required corrosion protection, spill prevention, and/or overfill protection equipment;
That have no established release detection method; and/or
Have had a release which was not addressed.

LDEQ also red tags tanks with other violations if the deficiencies are not corrected within 30 days of being notified of those deficiencies by the LDEQ. The LDEQ maintains a list of red-tagged UST facilities on its website.

Temporary & Permanent Closure

Please see Louisana's DEQ Underground Storage Tank Division's UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK CLOSURE/CHANGE-IN-SERVICE GUIDANCE DOCUMENT for information regarding closure or change of service in Louisiana.