Changes could leave thousands of chemical tanks out of regulations

Thursday, January 15, 2015
By Ken Ward Jr., Staff writer

Industry-backed changes expected to be promoted during the new legislative session would allow thousands of chemical storage tanks across the state to escape new requirements for periodic inspections and mandated safety standards, according to a new analysis of data gathered by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

One proposal for modifying SB 373 -- the bill passed after last year’s leak at Freedom Industries -- is to limit the law’s scope to above-ground storage tanks located in the “zone of critical concern” closest to public drinking water intakes. ... But the new analysis, by the consulting firm Downstream Strategies and the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, found that thousands of chemical tanks across the state, while outside the zone of critical concern, are still located “in close proximity” to drinking water intakes.

“It’s remarkable to see the number of tanks so close to rivers and streams,” said Angie Rosser, executive director of the rivers group. “So while it’s appropriate to look most closely at tanks closest to existing drinking water intakes, focusing protection efforts solely on those zones would miss thousands of tanks that could easily harm our water supplies.”

Among other findings, the analysis of DEP data found that three-quarters of the tanks statewide belong to the oil and gas industry. While just 4 percent of those tanks are within zones closest to drinking water intakes, 40 percent of them are within 1,000 feet of surface waters.

Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kward@wvgazette.com, 304-348-1702 or follow @kenwardjr on Twitter.