Oil Heat Tank Upgrade
The NH Petroleum Reimbursement Fund, established by the Oil Fund Disbursement Board and administered by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES), is a financial assistance program for owners of petroleum storage facilities, such as homeowners and business owners, who incur cleanup costs when a release (spill or leak) occurs. The owner is responsible for all aspects of investigative and remedial measures associated with the release. To qualify for fund coverage, the owner must ensure that the facility is in compliance with all applicable state and federal rules for facility operation and maintenance.
To prevent oil releases from substandard tanks, DES has begun the SAFETANK program which requires owners to bring their oil tank systems into compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Chapter 31 and DES “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) by January 1, 2005. Failure to achieve compliance by that date will prevent access to the New Hampshire petroleum reimbursement cleanup funds should an oil release occur. Please refer to DES Fact sheets WMD-OIL-10 and WMD-OIL-24 (the BMPs) for more information on the proper installation and upgrade requirements of OPUFs. New installations must meet the requirements of NFPA 31 and the BMPs.
In conjunction with this program, DES has made available to those owners who demonstrate financial need, the ability to apply for reimbursement of costs, up to $1,500 (as of Aug 14, 2005), in order to meet the compliance requirements.
To qualify for the program,:
* the facility must be determined to be substandard (i.e. not meeting current standards and practices),
* defined environmental risk criteria must be met, and
* the total household income must meet the "low-income" definition of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).