Technical Assistance Program

“I need advice and technical assistance for a petroleum contaminated site.”

Please Note: Effective July 1, 2023 TAP Enrollment fees are $10,000 for each Gasoline/Diesel site and $1,500 for each Heating Oil site.

Find information on Technical Assistance Program projects through the Gasoline/Diesel Project Search.

About the Program

The Technical Assistance Program (TAP) assists underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators  with advice and guidance on petroleum cleanups.  PLIA provides assistance to those with eligible gasoline/diesel UST systems or heating oil tank systems.  We review environmental reports submitted to us and provide opinion letters based on that review and the requirements of the state cleanup regulations, chapter 173-340 WAC, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).

For completed cleanups which meet the substantive requirements of MTCA, we issue a No Further Action opinion. A No Further Action may be helpful with property transfers.

Eligibility

PLIA only accepts gasoline/diesel sites that do not impact surface water or sediment and are not co-mingled with other, non-petroleum contaminates.

If your site is not eligible for TAP, it may qualify for services under the Department of Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program.

How to enroll In TAP

Applications are only accepted online. Please complete the application using the instructions below. The same application is used for gasoline/diesel and heating oil sites.

To apply to TAP you will need a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account. You may already have one that you created to access other State of Washington online services. If not, you can create a new SAW account using our How-to Guide.

  • If you are applying to TAP for your own site, please log in to PLIA’s Online Community using your SAW account username and password, and select TAP from the PLIA programs landing page:

 

Then click on the “Enroll in TAP” button:

  • If you are applying to TAP on behalf of your client, and you have previously accessed PLIA’s Online Community please access the TAP program page and click on the “Enroll a Client in TAP” button:

Please upload any relevant reports to PLIA’s online folder.

For gasoline/diesel sites, you will schedule an intake meeting.

An application is complete once reports are uploaded and an intake meeting has been scheduled (only required for gasoline/diesel sites). Program enrollment follows application review, intake meeting (for gasoline/diesel sites) and payment of fee.

Schedule an Intake Meeting

An intake meeting is required for enrollment of gasoline/diesel sites into TAP. Attending an intake meeting is optional for heating oil sites.

The meeting is an opportunity for applicants to discuss their site with a PLIA site manager before submitting the program fee.  You do not need to pay the enrollment fee to attend the intake meeting. Schedule and intake meeting here.

TAP Enrollment Fee and Payment

The enrollment fee must be paid before your site is accepted into TAP. The cost to enroll is:

  • Gasoline/Diesel: $10,000 per release/tank system
  • Heating Oil: $1,500 per release/tank system

If your site is enrolled in another PLIA program, then you may use the program funds to pay the enrollment fee.

To pay the program fee electronically please use the Make Payment button below.

Make a TAP Payment

Response Timelines

We aim to provide timely opinions. Our response goal is:

  • Within 70 days of request for gasoline/diesel sites.
  • Within 90 days of request for heating oil sites.