Tennessee Plugs Underground Tank Leaks With $4.6M

NASHVILLE -- Tennessee will get $4.6 million from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to clean up leaking underground storage tanks (USTs), the Nashville Post reported.

The funds will go toward the assessment and repair at 44 sites with leaking USTs across the state, the report stated. Nearly one-third of all Americans are affected by leaking USTs that contaminate groundwater, according to the EPA.

"These funds provided by the Recovery Act will allow contractors to put more people on the job of performing this important environmental cleanup work," Governor Phil Bredesen said in the report.

All Recovery Act funds through the program must be spent by Sept. 30, 2011, with at least 15 percent spent in the first year, according to the Post

"The Recovery Act funds will help Tennessee in its effort to provide long-term protection from pollution caused by leaking underground storage tank," Stan Meiburg, EPA's acting regional administrator in Atlanta, said in the report. "The state will use the funds to assess and clean up abandoned tank sites while providing a boost to its economy through the creation of green jobs."
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