SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE_FILE 1

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ww FACT SHEET U.S. EPA Position on LLNL's Report and Recommendations on California's Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program Background California's cleanup rate for leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs) was less than 24 percent, which was far below the national average of 38 percent in 1994. This information prompted the State to re-examine its approach to cleaning up LUST sites. The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) contracted with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (MNL) to conduct a study on the fate and transport characteristics of petroleum leaks'in California using historical data from a large number of sites funded in.part by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant. This study was undertaken to provide scientific information to support decisions regarding LUST-cleanup policies. An effort was made to select sites from the area in California where the majority of underground fuel tanks and petroleum releases are located. Shortly after the SWRCB decided to undertake the LLNL study, Senate Bill (SB) 1764 was adopted by the State Legislature directing the SWRCB to evaluate California's LUST Program. In addition to placing several mandates on the SWRCB related to the LUST Program, SB 1764 established a Technical Advisory Committee composed of professionals with expertise in chemistry, biology, geology, engineering, health, and other fields. The Committee was tasked with conducting a comprehensive review in the following areas of California's LUST Program: * ground water monitoring requirements; * remediation techniques and methodologies; * criteria for satisfactory completion of remediation; *, cleanup standards; and * policies, guidelines, and methods used to establish cleanup standards. In early 1996, the Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled to submit recommendations to the SWRCB regarding changes to the California LUST program needed to ensure-that cleanup standards are technologically feasible and necessary to protect human health, safety, and the environment. All SB 1764 committee activities have been and continue to be conducted in an open forum with extensive opportunities for input from stakeholders and the public. EPA has participated in the SB 1764 Technical Advisory Committee public meetings. EPA has worked closely with the SWRCB to find innovative ways to streamline the corrective action processes in the State of California that will not compromise environmental and public health protection. EPA has supported the SWRCB in revising its LUST cleanup