[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 18 (Thursday, February 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S1655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mr. Jeffords):
  S. 439. A bill to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide for 
secondary containment to prevent methyl tertiary butyl ether and 
petroleum contamination; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
protect public health and the environment by preventing chemicals from 
leaking out of underground storage tanks and thereafter contaminating 
drinking water supplies and nearby communities. My colleague in the 
House of Representatives, Mr. Dingell, is introducing companion 
legislation.
  Underground storage tanks can hold extremely toxic chemicals that can 
move rapidly through soil, contaminating the ground, aquifers, streams 
and other bodies of water. Underground storage tanks are located in 
urban and rural areas. When they leak, they present substantial risks 
to groundwater quality, human health, environmental quality, and 
economic growth.
  There are approximately 670,000 underground storage tanks in the 
United States, and there have been more than 445,000 confirmed releases 
from these tanks as of mid-2003. Over 35 States report that leaking 
underground storage tanks are one of the top threats to their drinking 
water sources. By and large, MTBE contamination has come from leaking 
underground storage tanks. MTBE has contaminated water supplies in 43 
States and in 29 States has contaminated drinking water. Estimates 
indicate that it will cost at least $29 billion to clean up MTBE 
contamination nationwide.
  Currently, the leaking underground storage tanks program and other 
laws ensure that responsible parties pay to clean up the damage caused 
by these leaking spills. Unfortunately, the pace of cleaning up leaking 
underground storage tanks is 20 percent below the historic average. Our 
Nation faces an estimated 94,000 to 150,000 additional cleanups over 
the next 10 years--at a cost of $12 billion to $19 billion.
  The best, most commonsense solution to stop leaking underground 
storage tanks from threatening public health is to prevent them from 
leaking in the first place with the use of secondary containment, such 
as double walls. There is already widespread support for this 
throughout the country. Twenty-one States already require secondary 
containment, either for all new or replaced tanks--such as in 
California--or for all new or replaced tanks in sensitive areas. In 
addition, two States are awaiting final passage or approval of such 
requirements, and one State requires tertiary, such as triple walls, 
containment. According to figures from the Petroleum Equipment 
Institute, 57 percent of all tanks installed from 2000 through 2003 
were double walled.
  But this is not fast enough in the face of the threats to our 
drinking and groundwater. Approximately 50 percent of the population 
relies on groundwater for their drinking water, including almost 100 
percent in rural areas. The time to prevent contamination is now.
  We must ensure the environmental health and safety of our water. I 
encourage my colleagues to support this bill.
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