17.56.702    PERMANENT CLOSURE AND CHANGES IN SERVICE

(1) At least 30 days before beginning either permanent closure or a change in service under (2) and (3), the owner or operator shall notify the department of their intent to permanently close or make the change in service, unless such action is in response to corrective action already noticed to the department under subchapter 6. The required assessment of the excavation zone under ARM 17.56.703 must be performed after notifying the department, but before completion of the permanent closure or a change in service.

(2) To permanently close a tank or connected piping, the owner or operator shall empty and clean it by removing all liquids and accumulated sludges. All tanks or connected piping taken out of service permanently must also be either removed from the ground or, when approved by the department, filled with an inert solid material.

(3) Continued use of an UST system to store a nonregulated substance is considered a change in service. Before a change in service, the owner or operator shall empty and clean the UST system by removing all liquid, accumulated sludge, and all combustible and flammable vapors and conduct a site assessment in accordance with ARM 17.56.703.

(4) The cleaning and closure procedures in (5) must be used to comply with this rule.

(5) The department adopts and incorporates by reference the version in effect on January 1, 2018, of the following standards, specifications, and publications:

(a) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 1604, "Closure of Underground Petroleum Storage Tanks," (2015), which sets forth closure practices for UST systems, a copy of which may be obtained from API Publications Department, 1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 682-8375;

(b) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 1631, "Interior Lining and Periodic Inspection of Underground Storage Tanks," (2001), which sets forth lining and periodic inspection standards for UST tanks, a copy of which may be obtained from API Publications Department, 1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 682-8375;

(c) American Petroleum Institute Standard 2015, "Safe Entry and Cleaning of Petroleum Storage Tanks, Planning and Managing Tank Entry From Decommissioning Through Recommissioning," (2015), which sets forth cleaning and entrance standards for UST tanks, a copy of which may be obtained from API Publications Department, 1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 682-8375;

(d) The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publication No. 80-106, "Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Working in Confined Space," (1979), which sets forth standards for working inside an UST tank, a copy of which may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, (202) 783-3238;

(e) American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2016, "Guidelines and Procedures for Entering and Cleaning Petroleum Storage Tanks," (2016), which sets forth entrance and cleaning standards for UST tanks, a copy of which may be obtained from API Publications Department, 1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 682-8375; and

(f) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 326, "Standard for the Safeguarding of Tanks and Containers for Entry, Cleaning, or Repair," (2015), which sets forth procedures to safeguard tanks or containers that contain or have contained flammable and combustible liquids or other hazardous substances before entry, cleaning, repair, or other activities can be performed, a copy of which may be obtained from the National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269, (800) 344-3555. 

History: 75-11-505, MCA; IMP, 75-11-505, MCA; NEW, 1989 MAR p. 1912, Eff. 11/23/89; TRANS, from DHES, 1995 MAR p. 2259; AMD, 2007 MAR p. 1189, Eff. 8/24/07; AMD, 2010 MAR p. 1888, Eff. 8/27/10; AMD, 2016 MAR p. 1694, Eff. 9/24/16; AMD, 2018 MAR p. 1954, Eff. 10/6/18.