A bill that would regulate above
ground storage facilities in West
Virginia
The measure, introduced following
the Jan. 9 chemical leak that resulted in a water emergency for nine counties,
requires an annual inspection and certification by the state Department of
Environmental Protection at each storage site.
The bill also includes a
requirement that public water systems have emergency plans on file. The
committee pushed back the requirement for some smaller systems until July 2015.
Mercer County Sen. Bill Cole expressed concern the initial requirement may hurt
smaller public service districts.
DEP Secretary Huffman told the
committee annual inspections of tanks would be significant.
The bill being considered is not
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s bill that was introduced this week but the governor
supports it. His deputy chief of staff Jason Pizatella said the bill was a
joint effort.
The bill will now be taken up on the Senate floor.
