Changes could leave thousands of chemical tanks out of regulations

[mahatmakanejeeves]

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 [e-mail], 304-348-1702 or follow @kenwardjr on Twitter.

[atreides1]

1. Coal provided a living

And now it looks as if coal will kill them!!!

[tech3149]

2. Has been for better than a century

Even if you don't work in the mines. Living within a couple of miles could put you in the middle of a health danger cluster. I think there are like 26 studies out now that show significant increase in risk of cancers and a whole slew of other diseases if you live in proximity to a mountaintop removal site.
They use hundreds of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate/diesel explosives to wipe out the mountain. This puts massive amounts of greasy carcinogenic ultrafine particulate into the air for miles. It penetrates the lungs with every breath you take and deposits a slimy mess over everything.
With only 7% of the state economy owing to "coal" I can't understand why they still have such a hold on the government.

[pansypoo53219]

3. butbutbut big biznes has people's interests at heart right? RIGHT??? that's what fuxx keeps telling

people. guvment is the bad guys. THOSE PESKY REGS!