Bill Bush | 202.682.8069 | bushw@api.org

WASHINGTON, DC, January 20, 2011 - The American Petroleum Institute (API), the national trade association representing all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry, and Antea Group, an international engineering and environmental consulting firm, have formed an exclusive teaming agreement to provide a web-based Storage Tank Operator Training program that meets both federal and state operator training requirements as mandated by the Federal Underground Storage Tank Compliance Act of 2005.

This state-approved program covers training requirements for Class A, B and C storage tank operators. All training content is tailored to state-specific regulations and can be customized according to storage tank configurations for single-site operators. This training is available through API’s WorkSafe® web-based platform, https://worksafe.api.org, allowing operators to complete training at their own pace. Antea Group will also provide in-person classroom instruction to deliver a more customized approach to specific site needs. The training curriculum consists of 18 modules. At the conclusion of the training modules, operators must demonstrate their content comprehension through an examination of questions that have been approved by each state agency, where applicable. Upon passing the exam or training course, operators will be able to print their certificate of course completion directly from the training website or receive it immediately from their course instructor.

“The combined strength of a teaming agreement between API and Antea Group provides a powerful and cost-effective solution that helps storage tank owners and operators meet the new operator training compliance requirements as well as improve their overall performance in storage tank system operations,” states Tristan Steichen, Senior Consultant, Antea Group.

To date, the training program has been approved by state environmental agencies in Alabama, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Washington. Additional states will be added to the program as they are approved by state agencies. All states and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are required to complete Storage Tank Operator Training by August 8, 2012, or sooner.

API represents more than 450 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America’s energy, supports more than 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.5 percent of the U.S. economy, and, since 2000, has invested nearly $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.