Path Forward Partners is proud to share that our own David Grunat was recently interviewed by ABC7’s Lyanne Melendez for a segment examining the real-world costs of cleaning up underground storage tank (UST) sites across California. The feature comes at a pivotal moment for the industry, as operators statewide work through the aftermath of a major regulatory deadline that has reshaped how, and how quickly, legacy tank infrastructure gets addressed.
The Regulatory Backdrop
At the center of the segment is Senate Bill 445, passed by the California Legislature in 2014, which required owners or operators to permanently close single-walled USTs that don’t meet current design and construction standards by December 31, 2025. The law specifically targeted tanks installed before January 1, 1984 that lack modern safeguards, as well as certain tanks built before January 1, 1997, systems that, in many cases, have been sitting underground for decades without the secondary containment and leak-detection capabilities required of tanks installed today.
Owners and operators who did not permanently close their single-walled UST systems by the deadline are now out of compliance, cannot legally operate those tanks, and are subject to enforcement action, including red-tagging, which prevents fuel deliveries and dispensing, along with civil penalties from $500 to $5,000 per day, per UST. For property owners, gas station operators, and developers holding sites with legacy tank infrastructure, that combination of legal exposure and daily-accruing penalties has turned what was once a long-term compliance item into an urgent, immediate priority.
Why the Deadline Created a Bottleneck
While SB 445 was signed into law more than a decade ago, many small and independent operators have struggled to upgrade or close their tanks in time, often due to permitting backlogs, funding constraints, and contractor shortages, particularly in rural or underserved areas. That lag created a wave of last-minute activity heading into the deadline, and now a wave of post-deadline enforcement and remediation work as operators who missed the window scramble to come into compliance.
Removing or closing a UST is rarely just a matter of pulling a tank out of the ground. Site investigation, soil and groundwater sampling, corrective action planning, and, where contamination is discovered, full remediation can add substantial time and cost to what might otherwise look like a straightforward removal project. That complexity, and the real dollar figures behind it, is exactly what the ABC7 segment set out to unpack, and why David’s technical perspective was a valuable addition to the story.
The Cost and Logistics Conversation
For operators and property owners navigating this process, the questions tend to cluster around a few recurring themes. What will investigation and cleanup actually cost if contamination is found? How long will the process take, and what does that mean for site operations or a pending property transaction? Are there funding resources available to offset the expense?
On that last point, California does offer some financial relief through the state’s UST Cleanup Fund and the Replacing, Removing, or Upgrading Underground Storage Tanks (RUST) Program, though the deadline for submitting a claim for reimbursement of eligible corrective action costs is December 31, 2034, with the fund itself sunsetting on January 1, 2036. The resources exist, but owners and operators are well served by starting the process as early as possible rather than treating these funds as a fallback for later.
Path Forward’s Role
At Path Forward Partners, this is the kind of work we do every day: helping clients move through complex environmental challenges, from initial site investigation through remediation and closure, with clear strategy, technical rigor, and practical, cost-conscious solutions. Whether a client is facing a post-deadline enforcement situation, planning a tank removal proactively, or trying to understand what a UST issue means for a property transaction, our approach is the same. We give clients a clear picture of the technical and regulatory landscape early, so decisions about cost, timeline, and risk can be made with real information rather than guesswork.
We’re grateful to ABC7 and Lyanne Melendez for the opportunity to bring that perspective to a broader audience, and for shining a light on an issue that affects property owners and operators across the state.
📺 Watch the full segment on ABC7.
Learn more about Path Forward Partners at Underground Storage Tank Removal.
#Environmental Consulting #UST #Site Remediation #SB 445 #Real Estate Development #Environmental Compliance #Path Forward Partners #Brownfields