Stimulus Money for Underground Tank Clean-Up

[Guest Sen. Robert C. Byrd Office]

United States Senators Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., along with Congressman Nick Rahall, W.Va.-3, today announced that West Virginia is slated to receive more than $1,643,000 in federal funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The monies will be distributed through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a $197 million spending program across the country.

 

EPA regional underground storage tank programs will enter into cooperative agreements with states and territories this Spring. These cooperative agreements will include more detailed descriptions of state spending plans. The funds will be used for overseeing the assessment and cleanup of leaks from underground storage tanks or directly paying for assessment and cleanup of leaks from federally regulated tanks where the responsible party is unknown, unwilling, unable, or the clean up is an emergency response.

 

"Many West Virginia families rely on groundwater as a source of their safe drinking water,” said Byrd. “This funding will help to eliminate the backlog of more than 950 underground tank clean-up projects in West Virginia. And through this funding we will both create jobs and improve the health and safety of West Virginia communities.”

 

"The protection of West Virginia’s drinking water is essential. West Virginia families should be able to trust that the water coming from their faucet is safe,” said Senator Rockefeller. “These needed funds from the ARRA will create infrastructure projects – providing good-paying jobs for West Virginians, and boosting local economies. I am very pleased to see that this important funding is being released to the state as soon as it becomes available.”

 

"Here in southern West Virginia, we understand that investing in the health and safety of our infrastructure, of which underground storage tanks are an integral part, can improve the quality of life and overall health of a community,” added Rahall. “I am pleased to announce another successful lifeline of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into our communities.”