2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 22a - Environmental Protection
Chapter 446c - Air Pollution Control
Section 22a-174e - Decommissioning of stage II vapor recovery systems. Pressure decay test of stage I vapor recovery systems.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Decommission” means to render inoperable an operational stage II vapor recovery system by (A) permanently disconnecting all above-ground stage II vapor recovery equipment, and (B) sealing all above-ground and below-ground vapor or liquid paths that may release to the ambient air. Decommission does not require removal of below-ground stage II vapor recovery equipment;

(2) “Gasoline dispensing facility” means any site where gasoline is transferred to a motor vehicle from any stationary storage tank with a capacity of two hundred fifty gallons or more;

(3) “Pressure decay test” means an integrity test of the ullage portion of a gasoline storage system, during which such storage system is pressurized, pressure changes are monitored for a specified period of time and the final pressure is compared to an allowable value;

(4) “Stage I vapor recovery system” means a vapor recovery system that prevents the discharge to the ambient air of gasoline vapors while gasoline is transferred between a delivery vehicle and a gasoline dispensing facility; and

(5) “Stage II vapor recovery system” or “stage II vapor recovery equipment” means a vapor recovery system that prevents the discharge to the ambient air of gasoline vapors displaced during the dispensing of gasoline into a motor vehicle fuel tank.

(b) On or before July 1, 2015, the owner of any gasoline dispensing facility shall decommission any installed stage II vapor recovery equipment in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, notwithstanding any requirements in the regulations of Connecticut state agencies adopted by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection pertaining to stage II vapor recovery systems. On or after June 18, 2013, no owner of any gasoline dispensing facility shall install a stage II vapor recovery system.

(c) Decommissioning of a stage II vapor recovery system shall: (1) Begin after such owner has notified the commissioner of the intent to decommission; (2) be performed in accordance with Section 14 of the 2009 “Recommended Practices for Installation and Testing of Vapor Recovery Systems at Vehicle Refueling Sites” of the Petroleum Equipment Institute; and (3) be completed within one hundred days from initiation, unless the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection grants an extension of time for good cause after a request for such extension by the owner of a gasoline dispensing facility. Such notification shall be made at least thirty days prior to decommissioning on a form prescribed by the commissioner.

(d) The owner of any gasoline dispensing facility with a stage I vapor recovery system annually shall perform a pressure decay test of such system. Such owner shall notify the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection at least seven business days prior to a scheduled test on a form prescribed by the commissioner.

(P.A. 91-332; P.A. 93-312, S. 4, 7; P.A. 99-225, S. 11; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 13-120, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 93-312 extended coverage, after July 1, 1993, to facilities which dispense 1,000 gallons of gasoline per month and existing facilities which replace tanks with capacity of 1,000 gallons or more and broadened authority of commissioner re required equipment in vapor recovery systems, effective June 9, 1993; P.A. 99-225 added a provision authorizing regulations regarding annual testing of vapor recovery equipment in accordance with methods approved by the California Air Resources Board; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-120 replaced former provisions with Subsec. (a) defining “decommission”, “gasoline dispensing facility”, “pressure decay test”, “stage I vapor recovery system” and “stage II vapor recovery system”, Subsec. (b) re decommissioning stage II vapor recovery systems, Subsec. (c) re requirements for decommissioning and Subsec. (d) re pressure decay test of stage I vapor recovery systems, effective June 18, 2013.