Download PDF

The 2018 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature undertook certain revisions to the Mississippi Underground Storage Tank Act of 1988 (“Act”).

The legislation was enacted on March 19th after being approved by the Governor.

The principal components of the Act included:

• Revision of the Tank Regulatory Fee provisions
• Creation of an Underground Storage Tank Council

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director in the April 2018 agency newsletter noted:

Working with regulatory industry, specifically the Petroleum Marketers Association, we secured the passage of House Bill 813 which provides a mechanism to ensure our Underground Storage Tank (UST) program is adequately funded. The Bill authorizes the creation of an advisory committee, much like the Title V advisory committee, that will make recommendations to the Commission on Environmental Quality about the fees necessary for operation of the program. At first blush it may seem odd that the regulated community would support legislation that would increase fees, but the Petroleum Marketers Association realized that it was in the best interest of underground storage tank owners to have a financially stable program to provide services such as operator training and oversight of soil contamination cleanups.

A copy of House Bill 813 can be downloaded here.