Tag: Storage Tanks

Raft of New Laws to Take Effect Friday

West Virginia will make life easier for craft brewers, many chemical tank owners and people who want to teach without a formal education background under laws taking effect this week.

Many bills that passed on the final night of the legislative session in March were to take effect 60 days later, making Friday, June 11, the trigger date for 47 laws.

One new law lets programs such as Teach for America enter the neediest parts of West Virginia. Another peels back some regulations against leaky chemical tanks that were passed after a January 2014 spill, which contaminated 300,000 people’s drinking water.

Another high-profile law lowers fees and makes other changes to help craft brewers.

Lawmakers passed 262 bills last session to become law, though 18 were vetoed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

What's Up with the Faulty Storage Tanks Identified in W.Va.?

  After a 2014 chemical spill polluted drinking water for more than 300,000 people in West Virginia, lawmakers there quickly mandated tighter surveillance of the state’s chemical storage tanks. It revealed dozens of tanks that shouldn’t have been in service still posed a potential threat to drinking water for more than 134,000 people downstream.

Some were corroded and a few were filled with hazardous chemicals.

But under pressure from industry, lawmakers have already exempted thousands of tanks from the law.

Industry groups said the original law would stifle business.

Environmental and watchdogs groups say the law is working, despite officials’ urgency to scale it back.

Regulators say the problem tanks are now mostly drained, and owners are monitoring others until they’re taken out of service for repairs.

Tank Inspections Due Thursday Under W.Va. Spill Law

The deadline is approaching to submit aboveground storage tank inspections required by a new state law to protect public water supplies.

Thursday is the deadline for new tank inspection certifications in West Virginia. Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater says the state received about 22,000 inspection certifications as of mid-day Wednesday, or fewer than half of the tanks that require them.

The annual inspections are included in a law reacting to a January chemical spill, which spurred a tap-water ban for 300,000 people for days. The law includes a new regulatory system for many tanks and addresses emergency planning for public water systems.

A rule within the law groups tanks into three inspection categories. Tanks holding hazardous materials or ones near public water supplies face the most stringent requirements.

W.Va. Rule on Storage Tank Safety Out for Public Comment

State regulators are taking public comment and holding a hearing on a proposed rule that regulates aboveground storage tanks.

The Department of Environmental Protection has opened comment on the proposed rule aiming to prevent chemical spills and water contamination.

The comment period ends with a Jan. 21 public hearing at 6 p.m. at DEP’s Charleston headquarters.

The rule is part of a law reacting to a massive January chemical spill. The incident spurred a tap-water ban for 300,000 people for days. The law includes new tank registrations, inspections and requirements.

The rule covers many regulatory specifics, ranging from exemptions to who can perform inspections.

Initial annual tank inspections are due Jan. 1.

A separate rule offering guidance for first inspections took effect in November.

State Deadline Reached, Freedom Tanks Still on Site

A tank cluster that leaked chemicals into 300,000 West Virginians’ drinking water shows few signs that it’s on the brink of destruction.
 
Freedom Industries hit a state deadline Saturday to start scrapping its chemical storage headquarters. So far, crews have carved a small patch out of one tank to remove chemical remnants.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman said the order is both protective and symbolic.
 
Federal Chemical Safety Board officials said it’s unique to force a facility like Freedom to be torn down, since there was no major explosion or similar destruction at the plant.
 
Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Aluise said there’s no firm timeline for knocking down the tanks. But the black licorice chemical smell will likely resurface.

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