Toxics Cleanup > Sites > Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) Sites

Shell Multi-Site VCP Project: Northwest Region

Overview

An innovative, voluntary agreement between Shell Oil Products US (Shell) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) is the state’s first commitment by a fuel marketing company to clean up contamination at multiple current and former gas station sites.

Ecology and Shell finalized the agreement for the project in November, 2008.

Shell agrees to accelerate the study and cleanup as needed at 83 locations in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties.  Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office in Bellevue will coordinate the cleanup process with Shell. Ecology will provide site-by-site updates on this Web page as studies and projects are scheduled and proceed.

Voluntary Cleanup Program

The company will place the sites into Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). The VCP enables owners of contaminated sites to meet state cleanup standards independently and to receive technical guidance from Ecology during the process. VCP enables owners to work on a contractual basis rather than under an Ecology legal order.

Participants in the VCP pay fees to Ecology to cover the department’s costs for guidance and review. VCP sites must meet the same cleanup standards as properties formally managed by Ecology under the state’s cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act, created by a 1989 voter initiative.

The Shell-Ecology agreement is the first effort to coordinate a large block of site cleanups within the VCP.

Jiffy Lube International, Inc. (JLI), a lubricants entity related to Shell, also is a signatory to the agreement and will have a small number of sites within the project. However, Shell will manage the JLI sites with Ecology.

Federal interest and support

Ecology is working closely with EPA, which is studying this approach for use other parts of the U.S. Ecology will provide EPA with written updates, which will be available online here. These reports will cover:

1. Number of Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Sites moved to Reported Cleaned Up status based as a result of this project.
2. Summary analysis of site status and remedial activities, including brief narrative description of benefits from and barriers to this approach, and any adjustments made based upon lessons learned.
3. A one-time final project deliverable describing: plans for broader implementation (such as similar agreements with other major site owners and proceeding to state-wide agreements), time line, and lessons learned (such as any need for enforcement actions and other benefits or limits to this approach).

Background in a nutshell

Older gas stations used steel underground tanks and piping, which corroded over time and frequently leaked. A substantial number of fueling stations built before 1998 have been found to have leaking underground tanks. Gas stations today – and since 1998 – must meet Underground Storage Tank regulations that safeguard against corrosion and leaks, maintain leak-detection systems, and undergo regular inspections by Ecology.

Next steps

Based on the project’s results, Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office may pursue similar agreements with nine other companies that own 342 additional former gas station sites in the same seven counties.

This project with Shell and EPA is part of Ecology’s ongoing effort to reduce and prevent toxic threats to human health and the environment.