Bill > H642

This bill establishes an Underground Storage Tank Standards Board within the department to help develop and approve regulations concerning underground storage tanks, which are tanks used to store liquids or gases underground. The board will be chaired by the commissioner of environmental protection or their designee and will include the chairman of the board of fire prevention regulations or their designee, along with seven members appointed by the governor. These appointed members must have expertise in areas like the design, installation, operation, maintenance, and removal of underground storage tanks, with specific representation from independent oil marketers, professional engineers, tank system installers, owners of small and large fueling facilities, tank inspectors, and a member of the public. While board members will not receive salaries, they will be reimbursed for necessary expenses, and the bill clarifies that their participation in board activities will not disqualify them from their regular employment or violate certain conflict-of-interest laws. Crucially, any new regulations or changes to existing regulations regarding underground storage tanks must be approved by this board before they can be officially published or enacted.