The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s Petroleum Remediation section oversees the investigation and cleanup of petroleum contamination across the state. The program also administers a financial assistance program aimed to help tank owners pay for cleanup costs.

This work helps protect Nebraska’s groundwater and the public and can help prepare a site for future development.

Petroleum releases can come from pipelines and transportation spills, though most releases come from above ground and underground storage tanks. There was a total of 80 petroleum storage releases in state fiscal year 2022, with a total of 8,005 releases since 1990.

In cases with underground storage tanks, NDEE first conducts a Tier 1 investigation to gather site information and review contamination levels. This puts the site through the Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) process to see if additional investigation is warranted based on the site’s risk to human health and the environment.

If a site fails the Tier 1 investigation or if free product is detected, a Tier 2 investigation takes place to determine the extent of the contamination and to determine if cleanup is necessary.

During the investigation process, NDEE also determines whether parties who caused the release are available and financially capable of assuming responsibility for the cleanup. Those responsible parties may be eligible for reimbursement of cleanup costs through the Petroleum Release Remedial Action Reimbursement Fund, which was created by the Nebraska Legislature.

The Petroleum Release Remedial Action Reimbursement Fund is replenished through a per gallon fee on motor vehicle fuels. This fee is 9/10 cent on gasoline and 3/10 cent on diesel fuel. Additionally, those who own underground storage tanks pay NDEE $90 per tank each year, which also goes into the fund.

Not only does this fund reimburse responsible parties, it also is used to clean up orphan sites, where there is no viable responsible party to take on cleanup activities. Since 1989, the reimbursement fund has spent $265 million toward remedial actions at release sites.

One site that has seen the benefits of petroleum remediation is the West Haymarket in Lincoln. Free product was discovered in the West Haymarket area in 1986; the cause could have been from both underground and above ground tanks at the railroad facility on the west edge of downtown Lincoln.

Remediation began in 1988, and over 11,000 gallons of diesel fuel had been recovered from the site by 2010. In 2011, the City of Lincoln took over remediation work to expedite development, and over 15,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed and more free product was recovered.

The West Haymarket site’s spill file was closed in 2020, and the area is now home to the Pinnacle Bank Arena, hotels, restaurants, shops, and other businesses. Additional, non-petroleum remedial work is taking place in the surrounding area for future development.

The West Haymarket in Lincoln is just one example of a site that has benefited from petroleum remediation. Sites across the state have also utilized the program to protect Nebraska’s groundwater.