Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has a program that may reimburse some cleanup costs after a qualifying release from a buried residential heating-oil tank. It is not a grant for ordinary removal, abandonment, or replacement. Pulling a quiet unused tank is ordinary underground removal, a different job.
Which situation you are actually in
- The tank is unused and there is no sign of a release. That is ordinary removal, not this program.
- You have odor or staining around a buried tank. Start there, then ask whether cleanup applies.
- A qualifying underground release is being cleaned up under DEP’s current rules. That is the program’s subject.
- The tank stands on a basement floor. DEP’s reimbursement FAQ says that tank is not eligible.
What the DEP FAQ actually says
DEP’s reimbursement FAQ, revised 29 July 2021, includes these points. Read the live PDF before treating a summary as the rule:
- A heating-oil release that has contaminated, or could contaminate, groundwater or surface water must be reported to the DEP regional office. DEP recommends reporting all heating oil releases to the environment.
- Environmental contamination from a heating-oil release has to be cleaned up.
- A leaking tank that stands on a basement floor is not eligible. The tank must be buried.
DEP’s reimbursement FAQ, revised 29 July 2021, says the use of a DEP-certified storage-tank company for underground heating-oil closure or removal is not required if the tank stored heating oil for on-site use only. DEP does not certify contractors for site characterization and cleanup. That statement concerns DEP storage-tank certification. It does not decide municipal permit requirements, other applicable qualifications, or environmental cleanup obligations.
An Act 2 release of liability, when DEP actually grants one after a qualifying cleanup and the Land Recycling Program’s administrative requirements, is a different record from a municipal permit closeout or a routine tank-removal invoice. DEP’s Home Heating Oil Releases booklet says the letter is not issued if the cleanup is incomplete or those requirements are not met.
Amounts belong on DEP’s page
Confirm current eligibility, amounts, and program terms on DEP’s application page. Claims and eligibility are decided there.