SB 2208 Summary

• Enacts the Mississippi Aboveground Storage Tank Act of 2013 to regulate aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) containing motor fuels, establishing definitions, registration requirements, and oversight by the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality.

• Authorizes expenditures from the Mississippi Groundwater Protection Trust Fund for response actions related to AST releases, with maximum limits of $1,500,000 per site for remediation costs and $1,000,000 per site for third-party claims.

• Requires AST owners and operators to comply with commission regulations covering tank standards, leak detection, closure requirements, and financial responsibility; establishes civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation per day.

• Implements a tank regulatory fee of $500-$1,000 per tank compartment annually to fund program administration, with fees due January 31 each year and 50% penalty for late payment.

• Creates a seven-member Aboveground Storage Tank Advisory Council to study program costs and recommend an equitable fee system, with original appointments required by January 1, 2014.