Contacts:
Sabina Haskell, Agency of Natural Resources, (802) 241-1562

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Vermonters who are thinking of replacing or upgrading their heating oil tanks can apply for grants from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

Petroleum spills and releases are messy and disruptive. And with the high price of heating oil, no one can afford to put fuel into a leaky tank.

State grants, of up to $1,000, are available to qualifying homeowners for removing, replacing, or upgrading their heating oil storage tank (either aboveground or underground). The state is currently taking applications for grants to be awarded in the coming months.

This grant program has been available to homeowners since 1998. “We hope the grant will encourage homeowners to replace their old oil storage tanks. We hope that people who have old tanks or tanks that are poorly installed will apply for the grant and get their tank upgraded to prevent a spill of petroleum to the environment,” said Marc Roy, program manager in the Vermopnt Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Every year, there are many releases from both underground and aboveground oil tanks that have an effect on ground and surface water, soil, and indoor air. The grant program will pay for removals of underground tanks, upgrades of aboveground tanks such as a concrete pad to support the tank, roofing to protect the tank from ice and snow, and for the replacement of old tanks and piping.

The Department has $200,000 available for grants for both aboveground and underground tanks per fiscal year. To receive a grant application form, contact the Waste Management Division at 802-241-3888, or download an application at: http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/wastediv/ust/ustgrantapplication.htm.

For more information about above-ground tanks, contact Maria Stadlmayer at 241-3881, or for underground tanks, contact Susan Thayer at 241-2361.