Downstream Strategies: New Regulations Are Only First Step to Prevent Future Spills

Downstream Strategies President Evan Hansen has worked on a report called “The Freedom Industries Spill: Lessons Learned and Needed Reforms.” Hansen says new regulations on storage facilities, like the one involved in the Elk River spill, are only a first step towards prevention.

Hansen also suggests:

• Additional funding to the state Department of Environmental Protection, to add staff to its enforcement ranks;
• A harsh tone from the state government on all extraction industries, that lax enforcement and shoddy storage won’t be tolerated,
• A reformation of the permitting system, which includes holding storage facilities to more stringent permits, that would require public comment.

A copy of this report is now available.