State fined for fuel tank lapses

The state department that looks after the Capitol's emergency underground fuel tank was ordered to pay $93,350 in penalties Wednesday after Sacramento County inspectors cited it for ignoring environmental and hazardous materials regulations.

The court-approved penalty marks the second time in four years that the county's Environmental Management Department cited the state Department of General Services for violating regulations governing the safe operation of underground fuel storage tanks.

A 2004 case involving underground fuel tanks at the General Services garage, at 1416 10th St., led to initial penalties of $198,000. General Services officials settled it with a payment of $43,650, county hazardous materials chief Dennis Green said.

Green said when his inspectors checked the Capitol's underground fuel tank last fall, they found General Services had failed to test its containment systems at least once in three years.

State workers also failed to certify at least once a year that the 1,000-gallon tank's leak-detection system was working. Lastly, they failed to remove water from a secondary containment system, rendering the entire emergency tank's leak-detection system inoperable, the county's violation summary shows.

The underground tank supplies fuel to the Capitol's backup emergency generator if local power systems fail in a blackout or terrorist attack.

General Services spokeswoman Beth Mills said officials have worked to correct the problems.

"We have brought this facility up to full compliance and worked with the county to develop a monitoring plan to ensure continued compliance," Mills said.

Green confirmed that the Capitol is now respecting rules.

The Bee learned, however, that the county's environmental hazard cops have three similar cases against General Services still before the courts.

They involve violations for underground fuel storage tanks used to power backup generators at the State Library and Court Building, at 914 Capitol Mall; the General Services garage on 10th Street; and a combined case involving the Department of Health Services, at 714 P St., and the Paul R. Bonderson Building, at 901 P St.

In an unrelated case in March, California Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials also fined General Services $600 after it failed to test and document safety relief devices for the rooftop compressed natural gas storage system at the 10th Street state garage.

When asked if anyone was held accountable for the lapses that are costing taxpayers, Mills, the General Services spokeswoman, replied: "Several DGS building and property managers who would have had oversight over these facilities are no longer with DGS."

Pressed, Mills acknowledged that nobody was fired.

She did say that new managers in the property management division have made it a priority to comply with underground fuel storage tank rules.

The department also has shifted responsibility for monitoring underground tanks to its environmental health and safety unit, Mills said.

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