The PASS Training Marketplace

Department: Wyoming Dept of Environmental Quality - Solid and Hazardous Waste Division
Contact: Oma Gilbreth
Address: 122 West 25th Street Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: (307) 777-7097
Website: View Site →

UST Operator Certification Procedures

Class A/B Operator Training
In Wyoming, UST System Operators can only be certified after taking and passing the exam administered by the International Code Council (ICC) through Pearson VUE testing centers. Getting ready for the ICC exam(s) is a three-step process

Step One: Take the PASS ICC Preparatory Course

PASS is the only training provider approved by the ICC to offer preparatory training for the ICC UST/AST operator exams. These ICC preparatory courses do not include a final exam or provide certification upon completion and is not required to take, but they will provide you with the information and guidance you need to study and prepare for the exams.

Step Two: Read the UST/AST Examination Information Bulletin and Prepare Your Reference Materials

First, you should read the UST/AST Examination Information Bulletin. You may also call the ICC at 1-888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 5524 to request a paper copy of the Bulletin.

Pay particular attention to the information on your state’s exams. Specific exam information usually begins around page 24 in the Bulletin, and includes the number of exam questions, the exam fee, the type of exam, and the list of reference materials.

Most ICC UST/AST operator exams are open book, which means that you may take certain documents (called reference materials) with you into the exam room and refer to them during the exam. The ICC, however, has strict requirements about which reference materials you can take into the exam with you and in what format. PASS strongly recommends that you obtain your reference materials well in advance of taking the exam.

Which reference materials do I need? How do I get them?

The reference materials you need are listed in the UST/AST Examination Information Bulletin. They typically include the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) UST regulations (40 CFR §280), the state’s UST regulations (which usually can be found on the state UST program’s website), and one or more of the following EPA publications, any of which can be downloaded here or through a PASS ICC preparatory course.

Operating and Maintaining Underground Storage Tank Systems (EPA 510-B-05-002)
Straight Talk on Tanks, 2005 (EPA 510-B-05-001)
Musts for USTs, November 2015 (EPA 510-K-95-002)
Dollars and Sense, Financial Responsibility Requirements for USTs(EPA 510-K-95-004)

Your reference materials list may also include publications of the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), which you must purchase through PEI’s online store. Typically, these include PEI/RP 500 Recommended Practices for Inspection of Motor Fuel Dispensing Equipment and PEI/RP 900 Recommended Practices for Inspection and Maintenance of UST Systems. You may also be able to purchase these bundled with your state’s other reference materials through the ICC’s online store.

How do I prepare my reference materials? You may take only the reference materials listed in the current UST/AST Examination Information Bulletin with you into the exam. In order to be able to take them into the exam, you should prepare them as follows.

If you do not follow these steps, the Pearson Vue test center personnel will not let you take your materials into the exam room and you will not be able to use them during the exam.

STAPLE OR BIND YOUR MATERIALS. You may not take loose pages into the exam room, so we recommend that you print the reference materials and either staple them together or place them in a three-ring binder.
MAKE NOTES. You may make notes in your reference materials as long as the notes are in ink and any highlighting is done before you arrive for the exam. For example, you should locate and mark in the reference materials information such as your state’s allowable release detection methods, allowable financial responsibility mechanisms, recordkeeping requirements, operator retraining requirements, etc. This will make it easier to find the information during the exam itself. PASS’ ICC preparatory courses make this easier by giving you rule citations or page numbers keyed to your reference materials.
USE TABS. You may also use tabs to mark important sections, but these tabs must be permanently attached and not be removable without damage to the page (removable post-it type tabs, for example, would not be allowed).

Step Three: Schedule Your Exams

ICC exams are offered periodically at Pearson VUE testing centers around your state. When you are ready to take your exams, you can register online at www.pearsonvue.com/icc or by calling Pearson VUE at 1-800-275-8301.

Wyoming Post-Training Certification Procedures
UST Class A/B operators in Wyoming need to take and pass the appropriate International Code Council’s (ICC’s) UST/AST operator exam and then apply for a Wyoming license. Here is what to do.

You may choose to take PASS’ Wyoming UST Class A/B Operator Training (ICC Preparatory Course) to prepare for the exam.
Sign up for one of the following ICC exams through the Pearson VUE website. For general information about how the ICC exams work, visit PASS’ ICC Exam page.
1. The ICC W6 (Wyoming State-Specific Class A Storage Tank Operator) exam is for Class A/B UST operators. Passing this exam qualifies you for a Wyoming Class A/B operator’s license.
2. The ICC BU (Class B UST System Operator) national exam is for Class B UST operators. Passing this exam only qualifies you for a Wyoming UST Class B operator’s license.
3. The ICC W5 (Wyoming State-Specific Class B AST Operator) exam is for Class B AST operators. Passing this exam qualifies you for a Wyoming AST Class B operator’s license.
Upon receiving your ICC score, you must submit an application for a Wyoming license, along with a copy of your ICC score report, to the Department of Environmental Quality, Solid and Hazardous Division (DEQ).

Wyoming class A/B operators must retake the ICC exam and reapply for their Wyoming license every five years.

Class C Operator Training
PASS'Class C Operator Training in Wyoming is approved thru the Wyoming Dept of Environmental Quality - Solid and Hazardous Waste Division

Registration & Fees

Each UST and AST in Wyoming must be registered with the DEQ using the appropriate notification form. Newly-installed UST and ASTs must be registered with the DEQ within 30 days of installation completion. Whenever a change of ownership occurs, a Change of Ownership form and an amended notification/registration form must be completed and submitted to the DEQ.

Tank Fees

On or before January 1 of each year, owners/operators of USTs and ASTs in Wyoming must pay to the DEQ a fee of $200 per tank. However, owners/operators of ASTs which hold 5,000 gallons or less must pay a fee of $50 per tank. On April 1 of each year, the DEQ may assess a late payment fee of $100 per tank or contaminated site against any owner who has not paid the annual tank fee.

Release Reporting

Suspected and confirmed releases must be reported to the DEQ’s spill reporting number (307-777-7781) within 24 hours of discovery.

Minimum site assessments (MSAs) are used to determine whether a regulated substance has been released from a storage tank system and, if so, to determine the extent of soil and/or groundwater contamination. MSAs are required in the following situations.

Unless the site is already listed as a contaminated site, the UST/AST owner/operator must perform an MSA at his or her own expense and provide the DEQ with a report of the results.
Owners/operators who remove tanks or change the use of their tanks must perform an MSA within 45 days of the activity.
Owners/operators of abandoned storage tank systems who wish to participate in the corrective action fund must provide the DEQ with documentation that the site contained a storage tank system used to store and dispense fuel, complete an MSA, and pay one year’s storage tank fee for all storage tanks at the site at the time of initial registration.
If a site is not on the contaminated list, the owner/operator must perform an MSA any time soil and/or groundwater contamination is discovered on the property or adjacent properties.
An MSA must be performed by an owner/operator prior to permanently closing a storage tank.

Complete information on MSAs can be found in the MSA Guidance Document.

Release Detection

USTs

The following are allowable release detection methods for USTs in Wyoming.

Automatic Tank Gauging (ATG)
Secondary Containment with Interstitial Monitoring
Inventory Control
Statistical Inventory Reconciliation (SIR)
Manual Tank Gauging
Soil Vapor Monitoring
Groundwater Monitoring
Tank Tightness Testing
Tracer Surveys
Passive Acoustic Sensing

ASTs

All regulated ASTs must use one of the following methods for leak detection.

ATG
Manual Tank Gauging (ASTs with a capacity of less than 1,320 gallons)
Interstitial monitoring
Visual monitoring of tank bottoms
Passive acoustic sensing
Tracer surveys

Inventory control must be conducted by all owners and/or operators of ASTs. Owners and/or operators must conduct an annual inspection of all AST systems.

Release Prevention

To prevent spilling and overfilling associated with regulated substance transfer to the UST system, owners and/or operators shall use the following spill and overfill prevention equipment:

Spill prevention equipment that will prevent release of regulated substances to the environment when the transfer hose is detached from the fill pipe (for example, a spill catchment basin); and
Overfill prevention equipment that will:
- Automatically shut off flow into the tank when the tank is no more than ninety-five percent (95%) full; or
- Alert the transfer operator when the tank is no more than ninety percent (90%) full by restricting the flow into the tank or triggering a high-level alarm.
Owners and/or Operators are not required to use the spill and overfill prevention equipment specified if the UST system is filled by transfers of no more than twenty-five (25) gallons at one time.

Financial Responsibility

Owners/operators of regulated storage tank systems in Wyoming should secure financial assurance to meet the $30,000 deductible for court-awarded damages to a third party. Acceptable financial assurance mechanisms include:

Financial test of self-insurance;
Guarantee;
Insurance and risk retention group coverage;
Surety bond;
Letter of credit; or
Trust fund.

In addition, federal regulations require that owners/operators of more than 100 USTs anywhere in the United States have insurance to cover at least $2,000,000 for releases occurring from any of those tanks.

Inspection & Testing Requirements

Monthly

Whenever a Class A operator is in charge of more than one facility, the Class A or Class B operator must conduct a monthly visual inspection of each UST system and complete the Monthly Facility Inspection Checklist. A copy of the checklist must be provided to the facility owner. Monthly checklists and all attachments must be retained for 12 months.
Annual

The owner/operator or a qualified consultant must conduct an annual inspection of each UST/AST facility. The annual inspection must include:

Testing all cathodic protection systems on-site which are due for testing;
Providing for pressure tests of pressurized piping or American suction piping;
Testing all automatic line leak detectors;
Documenting that all release detection equipment systems are properly calibrated and functioning;
Providing an annual summary for all inventory control calculations, SIR reports, or other leak detection methods which demonstrate compliance for each of the previous 12 months; and
Physically inspecting all sumps, manholes, dispensers, and other openings in the storage tank system, and eliminating any leaks.

Results of the annual inspection must be recorded on an Operator’s Annual Inspection form and a copy submitted to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Delivery Prohibition/Non-Compliance Enforcement

If a DEQ inspector determines that a UST or AST system is out of compliance with state or federal storage tank regulations, the DEQ will first issue an Administrative Order prohibiting deliveries to the UST/AST. The DEQ will also notify all suppliers of record for that facility that they may not deliver regulated substances to the facility. A copy of the Administrative Order will also be posted on the DEQ’s website. The DEQ may also affix a red tag to the fill port of the ineligible UST/AST.

Once the DEQ is satisfied that the violations have been corrected and the UST/AST returned to compliance, it will issue a Notice of Compliance to the owner/operator.

Temporary & Permanent Closure

Temporary Closure

When a UST/AST system has been temporarily closed for three years or more, the owner/operator must complete a minimum site assessment (MSA).

Permanent Closure

At least 30 days prior to permanently closing a UST or AST, the owner/operator must notify the DEQ of the intent to close the UST/AST.
The owner/operator must also initiate and complete a permanent site closure assessment or MSA. If contaminated soils, contaminated groundwater, or free product as liquid or vapor is discovered during the site assessment, the owner/operator must immediately begin corrective action. The system must be emptied and cleaned to remove all liquids and accumulated sludges. If a permanently-closed tank is left in the ground, it must be filled with an inert solid material.

Recordkeeping

If records are maintained at a readily-available alternate site, the site must be within the boundaries of the state of Wyoming.
Records demonstrating compliance with release detection requirements must be maintained as follows.
- Performance Claims: All written performance claims pertaining to any release detection system must be maintained for three years.
- Test Results: The results of any sampling, testing, or monitoring must be maintained for at least three years.
- Calibration, Maintenance, and Repair: Written documentation of all calibration, maintenance and repair of release detection equipment permanently located on site and any schedules of required calibration and maintenance provided by the release detection equipment manufacturer must be retained for the operational life of the tank.