43 percent of underground storage tank inspections in 2014 led to an environmental violation.
The EPA has issued new guidelines for underground gasoline tanks, changes the agency hopes will beef up safety standards for containers underneath gas stations and convenience stores in Connecticut.
The changes include new safety backups to help contain minor spills and new requirements for operator training.
Lori Saliby, an environmental analyst with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said Connecticut anticipated these federal changes.
"In seeing where they were going with it, we actually did come out three years ago with revisions that included a lot of what the new regulation actually has in it," she said. "Some of the requirements are slightly different than what the original draft looked like, so we may have to do some tweaking."
In 2014, the state carried out more than 1,100 inspections of underground storage tanks. 43 percent of those inspections led to an environmental violation.
Saliby said the new EPA ruling could impact that number. "In the beginning anytime there's a new rule it takes people some time to get up to speed with it," she said. "So, there may be a slight bump up in enforcement actions as things get rolling."
Another question is whether violation notices actually bring rulebreakers into compliance. Many violations don't carry fines.
In March, WNPRfound about 40 percent of violations didn't lead to the problem getting fixed. Saliby said the new EPA regulations don't require any changes penalties or enforcement.
