Fuel Shortage in NY and NJ
November 2, 2012

The shutdown of fuel terminals due to power loss in the wake of Hurricane Sandy is putting a strain on the limited fuel supplies in the hardest hit areas of New York and New Jersey. It's not just homeowners that are running out of gas to run their generators. Companies operating on emergency generator power are quickly running out of fuel because their storage tanks are empty and the local suppliers have no fuel to deliver. CommTank was contacted by 16 companies looking to rent additional storage tanks and for deliveries of fuel. We currently have crews in the New Jersey area installing tanks for facilities like Proctor and Gamble’s Avenel manufacturing plant and delivering fuel to the JFK Airport. Our staff and crews have been working round the clock to accommodate as many requests as we can. We hope the additional resources sent there will help speed the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

UST Removal Loan Program in Barnstable County
October 22, 2012

Barnstable County will soon have funds available for a low interest loan program available to homeowners with underground tanks on Cape Cod. The newly established fund was created after a Cape-based company failed to clean up a contaminated property within the time specified by the state. The program will have seventy thousand dollars available to qualified homeowners that have put off removing underground tanks for financial reasons. The fund will be the first of it’s kind and is called the Residential Underground Storage Tank Removal and Replacement Revolving Loan Program. If you are interested in more information please contact Amy Wallace of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment at (508) 375-6908 or by email at awallace@barnstablecounty.org.

Onsite UST Operator Training Now Available
CommTank is now offering on-site training as well as our regularly scheduled training programs. If scheduling time away from the office is difficult for your staff then our trainers can come to you. We help your employees get the most out of UST A-B Operator Exam Preparation by providing a hands-on workshop with valves, pumps, and alarms that they will most likely encounter in the field. We also provide site-specific training so that employees are trained on their own facilities equipment and receive an “UST Operator C” training certificate. Recent onsite training sessions at the VA Hospital, Stop and Shop, and Philips Academy proved helpful to staff that could not take time away from the facility. For more information, please contact Mike Torres at 781-224-1021 or mtorres@commtank.com

CHMM Certification
CommTank is proud to announce Kevin Hoag has achieved the Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) certification. The Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) is a voluntary certification offered by the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management. The CHMM credential is accredited in the United States as an engineering-related program by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards(CESB), and by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under ISO/IEC Standard 17024 (Personnel Certifications). This certification provides a nationally recognized standard for identifying professionals who have demonstrated knowledge and competence in hazardous materials management.

Jaguar Alive Driving Experience at Gillette Stadium
The Jaguar Alive Driving Experience is an exclusive opportunity for a hands-on driving experience. It’s one of 18 events that take place in metropolitan areas around the US. Professional drivers will coach behind-the-wheel exercises and in-depth product demonstrations on closed courses and nearby streets. CommTank is providing a skid-mounted rental fuel tank that will be used to provide diesel to the vehicles. The tank includes a fuel dispenser pump, meter, and filter so the vehicles can be fueled right on the grounds of Gillette Stadium. The event takes place on September 21st through the 23rd at 1 Patriot Place, Foxboro MA.

Oil spill cleanup doesn’t always mean heating oil!
October 12, 2011

At CommTank, we are heating oil experts, but that doesn’t stop us from supporting our customers when they have other spills. Friday morning CommTank was called to help cleanup a vegetable oil spill. Our customer had a sight gauge crack, causing 5,000-gallons to leak onto the storage room floor overnight. The company moves vegetable oil from rail cars to processing tanks and has a 250,000-gallon capacity. With 5 inches of vegetable oil keeping the facility from running it’s normal production, CommTank mobilized an emergency crew and delivered diaphragm pumps, rubber hoses, totes, and squeegees, to help recover the vegetable oil into drums. Even with lots of manpower, emergencies like these are something that most manufacturers are not prepared to handle on their own. With the extra gear and helping hands the vegetable oil was removed by the end of the work day.

NFPA 25: Fire Sprinkler Storage Tank Inspection
September 22, 2010

Did you know that water storage tanks should be inspected every 5 years and no longer need to be drained to do it?

Sprinklers and other water-based extinguishing systems save lives, but even the best systems can fail if they're not maintained properly. Regular tank inspections provide an early warning of potential failures so you can correct them and keep these life-saving systems ready for action when they're needed most. At CommTank we perform inspections, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection storage tanks to the NFPA 25 Standard. We use Ultrasonic (UT) testers to gauge the thickness of the tank, and gather data to determine the corrosion levels within the tank. By having your equipment inspected every 5 years you can ensure compliance and protection for your personnel and property.

Call us at 1-800-628-8260, and we'll gladly answer any questions you have about NFPA codes related to water storage tanks.

For more information about non-potable water storage tanks please see our fire protection tank page.

Heating System Assistance Program (HeartWAP)
September 3, 2010

CommTank recently enrolled in the Massachusetts Association for Community Action Program (MASSCAP) to provide heating services to residents who are eligible for community assistance. MASSCAP is the statewide association for the 24 Community Action Agencies operating in the Commonwealth.

The program is part of the federal initiative called the Heating Emergency Assistance Retrofit Task Weatherization Assistance Program (HEARTWAP). The goal of the program is to provide emergency heating system repair and replacement services to low-income households. Households are served based on need. Typically, a fuel assistance eligible homeowner who has a no-heat or an unsafe heating system situation will call the local agency. The agency contracts with licensed and insured heating repair technicians to fix the problem. CommTank is currently under contract to provide oil tank replacements for seven MASSCAP agencies with a goal to provide our services to twelve of the agencies that administer heat assistance. Interested households should contact their local fuel assistance agency for application information.

· Action Energy Services
· Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc
· Community Action, Inc.
· Great Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc
· Menotomy Weatherization Program
· Self Help Inc.
· South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc
· South Shore Community Action Council, Inc

Or check here for a list of MASSCAP agencies near you.

For more information about CommTank’s participation in the program, please call Mike Torres at 1-800-628-8260

Massachusetts Class A, B or C UST Certification Preparation
As of February 2012 the State of Massachusetts put in to law 310 CMR 80.02, the Class A, B and C Operator Requirements and Certifications. With this law the UST Operator & Training Certification requirement deadline is set for August 8, 2012. The primary purpose of the UST certification requirement is for owners and operators to understand how to properly operate and maintain UST systems. The earlier you become certified, the sooner you and your facility’s operators will be in compliance with the notification and documentation responsibilities for your UST system. You can also avoid the rush that will occur as the certification deadline of August 8, 2012 approaches by preparing for the exam now. CommTank is offering a UST Certification preparation course starting June 21, 2012 to help our clients prepare for the test. For information about the course outline and location please see our UST Certification Course page.

B727 Aircraft Decontamination at Hanscom AFB
LVI Environmental Services recently contracted CommTank to decontaminate a Boeing 727 located at Hanscom Air Force Base before it would be disassembled for salvage. The Boeing 727’s engines had been previously removed but the hydraulic fluid and jet fuel were still within the fuselage, wing sections, and landing gear. The onboard fuel storage tanks also had to be cleaned and removed. Getting fuel out of the tight quarters of an aircraft can be tricky but it was easier due to the crafts future destination as scrap metal. The hydraulic lines were cut and drained using compressed air to push the remaining fluid from the lines. The remaining jet fuel was removed from the on-board tanks, containerized, and transported off-site. All fluids and jet fuel were then disposed of at an appropriate licensed disposal facility.

About LVI Services
LVI Services Inc. is the United States’ leading provider of a wide array of integrated facility services, including environmental remediation, demolition and related services for commercial, industrial, multi-family residential and governmental facilities. For more information, visit www.lviservices.com.

For more information about CommTank's tank cleaning services please see our commercial tank cleaning page.

Veeder Root Testing and Certification
CommTank is pleased to announce that Kevin Hoag and Luis Diaz recently added Veeder Root system testing to their list of certifications. Tank monitoring system testing is required by the State of Massachusetts on a yearly basis. With this new certification, Luis and Kevin can now install, program, and service the TLS-450 and TLS-3XX series of underground storage tank (UST) monitoring systems. These systems are also known as automatic tank gauging systems (ATGS).

If you are interested in scheduling calibration, maintenance, a third-party evaluation, or just need technical support. Please call us a 1-800-628-8260.

You can also find automatic tank gauging system information, compliance information to help meet federal UST regulatory requirements, links to state regulatory authorities, and other UST information at the EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks website at http://www.epa.gov/oust/cmplastc/index.htm

For more information about Automatic Tank Gauges from Veeder Root, check out our fuel management service page.

MassDEP Notices of Noncompliance
Massachusetts is getting serious about tank inspections and making sure that all tank owners have the proper permits, licenses and tests. We are seeing more notices of noncompliance with M.G.L. Chapter 210 and 527 CMR 9.00 going out to tank owners for items that most people thought they had covered. It’s not just tank monitoring certification, or tank and line tightness testing reports that are being checked during field inspections. When a facility fails to produce documentation that shows they have been monitoring water entry in to the fuel tank, or doesn’t have documentation to show insurance or 21J Fund coverage, it can result in a Notice of Noncompliance. The tank operator is then given between 30 and 45 days to rectify these oversights, or an administrative penalty may be assessed for every day after the date of receipt that the noncompliance continues.

MassDEP maintains the UST database, tracks the dates of tank inspections, and keeps a list of qualified Third-Party Inspectors (TPI) for underground storage tanks. If you need copies of Form FP-289 or FP 290 you can access them at MassDEP Service Center. You can also go to our Third-Party Inspection page to get more details about documents you should have ready for a successful tank inspection.

CommTank on the scene at oil spill in Arlington
WAKEFIELD, MA…
As if dealing with the aftermath of last week’s snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice wasn’t bad enough, the owners of a duplex on Marathon Street in Arlington, MA also had to contend with the consequences of an accidental oil spill.

While filling an oil tank at the site, a local oil distributer experienced an equipment malfunction and at least 150 gallons of fuel oil spurted out onto the snow, slush, and ice that had piled up in the wake of this winter’s relentless storms.

CommTank, a Wakefield, MA based company that specializes in emergency oil spill response was called to the scene on February 4 to assess the extent of the spill and quickly begin cleanup before the spill caused even bigger problems.

As CommTank Project Manager Dan Hoag noted, “Despite less than ideal on-the-ground conditions, once our HAZMAT trained crew arrived on the site they immediately initiated action to contain the spill. Their number one priority was to reduce the migration of the spilled oil, stopping its entry into water systems by blocking access to drains, sumps, and sewer lines. Quickly and effectively corralling the spill provides a cost-effective and environmentally sound solution.”

After the initial clean up, CommTank will continue to test and monitor the site to ensure quality standards mandated by the state have been met. This will include soil testing to determine ground oil levels as well as water analysis if there are indicators that the oil spill has reached the water table. Site remediation will continue until oil levels are below state requirements.

About CommTank
CommTank, founded in 1994 and located at 84 New Salem Street in Wakefield, MA, specializes in the removal and installation of above and underground storage tanks and site remediation, including emergency spill response, site assessment, excavation, and site closure.

CommTank’s services are available Monday through Friday, with emergency service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CommTank’s service area includes most areas of Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and Maine. For more information about our environmental services please see our oil spill cleanup page.

Oil Spill at Triple-decker Home in Dorchester
January 2, 2011

Three families had to leave their home when 100-gallons of oil leaked into the basement. This spill occurred yesterday and the cleanup could take a while as the oil traveled under the floor through a hole that was cut for a sump pump. CommTank removed the leaking tank and is working on cleaning the oil before it spreads beyond the foundation. For a look at the coverage by WHDH Channel 7 click on the link below.

WHDH Channel 7 News

For more information about our environmental services please see our emergency spill repsonse page.

Estabrook Tank Test Certification
Dan Hoag Jr. and Sergio Morales of CommTank recently added the Estabrook EZY 3 Locator Plus tank test system to their list of certifications. This test system provides CommTank with a faster and more accurate method of testing. Many companies are moving toward vacuum based test systems because it eliminates the influence that environmental conditions have on the test results. With other tank test products, a recent oil delivery, changes in weather, and construction activity on site could affect the outcome. With the EZY 3 Locator Plus, tank down time is less than 30 minutes and site variables do not affect the system.

To learn more about the EZY 3 Locator Plus and how it works, check out our tank testing service page.

API 653 Inspector Certification Training
September 30, 2011

CommTank is proud to announce that Kevin Hoag passed the API 653 Inspector Certification Training course in Houston Texas. It is designed to identify individuals who have satisfied the minimum qualifications specified in API Standard 653, Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction. Aboveground Storage Tank Inspectors must have a broad knowledge base relating to tank inspection and repair of aboveground storage tanks. This program promotes safe storage and material handling of petroleum products in a manner that protects employees, the public, and the environment. The program was developed with the participation of storage tank owner/users, and establishes a uniform national program that will assist state and local governments in aboveground storage tank regulations.

To learn more about steel aboveground tank inspections, check out our tank inspection service page.

NH Petroleum Reimbursement Cleanup Fund
April 14, 2012

NH homeowners now have an incentive to have their heating oil systems inspected. The State of NH offers access to an oil spill reimbursement fund if you do not have private insurance that covers a leak. The only requirement to meet this funds eligibility is to ensure that your oil tank system is up to current codes. To qualify for fund coverage your oil tank system must meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Chapter 31 and the NH DES Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the installation and upgrading of on-premise-use heating oil tanks by July 2014. Please refer to the NH DES website at http://des.nh.gov for any questions regarding the cleanup fund. If you have questions regarding current heating oil system codes, please call our office at 1-800-628-8260.