The bill that would create
regulations for above ground storage tanks will likely make it out of the state
Senate this week.
It was written to address sites
similar to the tank that leaked along the Elk River on Jan. 9 and sent
crude MCHM and PPH into the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians .
For storage tanks that sit within
25 miles of a water intake or other areas deemed “critical zones,” the Senate
bill tasks officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection with
handling the annual inspections.
The bill also requires public water
systems to have emergency plans in place for possible future water
contamination. The Senate Judiciary Committee pushed back the deadline
for compliance for some smaller systems to July 2015.
SB 373 was scheduled to be taken up
on second reading, meaning possible amendments, on the Senate floor on
Monday. It could get final approval from the Senate on either Monday or
Tuesday.
