The Nation : Water Protection Outlined

The Environmental Protection Agency, citing a growing threat to drinking water, proposed a 10-year plan to force the upgrading of an estimated 1.4 million underground petroleum and chemical storage tanks. The proposed regulations also would require tank owners to remedy environmental damage caused by leaks and to compensate anyone injured by leaks. The cost of upgrading tanks and complying with proposed financial responsibility requirements would be about $400 million a year, an EPA official said. An estimated 84% of the tanks are made from bare steel and are the most likely to corrode and leak, the official said. The rest are fiberglass or corrosion-resistant steel.